Soul Mates or Not
by NightTimeRoaming
Summary: Gold doesn't know about Zelena's disguise so uses other means to convince Regina to join his side. Meanwhile, Emma is battling confusing feelings and Robin's a massive douche. This takes off from the beginning of "Heart of Gold" and continues the way I wanted it to. Swan Queen! Rated M for later. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

It took Regina a moment to realise where she was when she first came to. As usual, she smiled and reached for Robin and, just as she had every morning since that fateful day, she was unpleasantly brought back to reality when there was no one there to grasp. The last few mornings she'd been greeted with an empty side of the bed and spent the rest of the day mourning the loss of her soul mate. This time she was not so lucky.

It was the rattling of her handcuff chains which brought her memories back to her. Gold knew she'd been lying, that she'd been on Emma's side after all and had ordered Maleficent to knock her out. With wide eyes, she glanced around to assess the situation. She squinted in the light and grimaced at the pounding in her head before realising where she was; her vault, sat in front of her former teacher.

"Your hands are tied, I'm afraid. No more magic for you today."

She knew Gold was telling the truth, she could feel it. The magic was there still but trapped beneath the surface, like bubbling stew under a tight lid.

"So I'm your prisoner, now?" She seethed, as she pulled experimentally at the chain between her wrists.

"So it would appear." Gold smiled.

"What about everything you said to me? You wanted me to find my happiness." She questioned, wondering whether she need be afraid of him right now. She was well aware of what he was capable of, but he'd come so far since his darkest days.

"Well, that's true. Just not at my expense. You see, the affection I have for you, well, there are limits."

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"I lost everything. Just as you will, if you don't do as I say." He sounded broken, empty. "I need your help to lead the Saviour down a... Darker path."

She stood and took a step towards him. "And why, exactly, would I do that?" She hissed, perhaps it was foolish to antagonize him, but she'd be damned if she took a threat sitting down.

"I think you're forgetting, dearie, which of us is more powerful. You do remember that everything you know is a result of my teaching, do you not?" He replied, smugly.

"You underestimate me, dark one." She said as she sauntered a little closer to him, still as threatening as ever even with her hands tied. "Find someone else to do your dirty work."

"Ah, but it's you I need," Gold said, "and if you think I'm going to let you go skipping back to the saviour and continue working against me, you're delusional."

Regina stayed silent, glaring at Gold. If looks could kill he would burn where he stood.

He moved faster than a viper, hand clasping around her throat and he squeezed, bringing about a sudden sense of déjà vu as she remembered how he'd once grabbed her this way through the bars of his cage when she'd asked him about the requirements of the dark curse. Rumpelstiltskin was back, but he hadn't phased her then and he wouldn't faze her now. She clenched her teeth and held his gaze.

"I had assumed this would be an easy choice for you, but it appears I was wrong," He spat at her, "There are a number of ways I can persuade you to do my bidding and, trust me, none of them are pleasant. You'd be wise to forget your pride for the minute."

"Never." She choked out with difficulty as he tightened his hold, squeezing until she began to gasp for breaths, her chained hands came up to claw at his. Without her magic, however, she was powerless. Gold smiled as he watched her struggling. Just when black spots began to appear in her vision and a tingling feeling spread throughout her body, he released her.

She coughed and spluttered for a moment, before saying in a hoarse voice, "Do your worst."

Gold grinned. He was well aware of what this woman was capable of withstanding, having known her mother, but he was never one to mind a challenge.

"I have a quick errand to run now, but I'll be back, dearie. While I'm gone, why don't you have a think about my past and the lengths I've gone to in order to obtain what I want? Perhaps you'll see reason and we can avoid all of the… nastiness."

* * *

"First things first, have you heard from Regina?" Emma asked as she barrelled into her parents' loft. She'd just woken from the sleeping curse and after lifting a heavy, still-unconscious and snoring pirate from her chest she'd jumped into action, worrying about what advancements Gold and his lackeys had made while the town had been out of it.

"Henry did. They used the curse to keep you out of the way while they got the page, he said he gave Regina the page you created. You know, the forgery." Mary-Margaret said.

Emma instantly felt dread settle into the pit of her stomach, "Regina said there was no way Gold would believe it was the real thing."

"Well, Henry didn't have much of a choice. Apparently, Cruella and Maleficent accompanied her. He could either give her the forgery or the real thing and we know what they would do if they got their hands on that." David explained.

"Regina's in trouble, I know it. How long ago was this?"

"Uh," David looked at Mary-Margaret, "I think about three hours ago?"

"Oh, God," Emma immediately broke into a run and made for the door, hearing but not listening to her parents worried questions as she left. She climbed into her bug and headed straight for Gold's pawn shop.

She drove in a frenzy, not caring much for speed limits and pulled up right outside within just a couple of minutes. When she got inside, however, she was greeted with an empty room. Worse still, the open sign still hung in the door, meaning Gold must have left in a hurry to have not bothered changing it.

It was what she spotted on the floor just outside that caused her heart to plummet, however. She bent down to get a closer look and confirm her suspicions. A couple of pieces of paper were yet to be blown away by the wind, torn pieces of the forgery. Gold knew.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma quickly made a mental list of the possible whereabouts of the group. If Regina had escaped, she would be in her vault. If they had taken her… Well she didn't know where they would be. _The vault it is then,_ Emma thought as she climbed back into her car.

Luckily not many people were around, likely to do with the curse they'd all just woken from. Emma was sure she'd have caused a few accidents if the roads had been busy. She prayed as she drove that she would find Regina safe inside the vault and surrounded by a protection spell of some sort. She parked the car a little way away from the graveyard, aware that if that was the case, the villains would be nearby.

What she didn't expect was to see Gold calmly leaving the graveyard as she approached. She quickly ducked behind the brick wall surrounding the place and slowed her breathing as she watched him leave. He was alone.

Her heart rate sped up as she wondered what that could mean. Had he dealt with Regina already? Could he have killed her? She shook her head violently and tried to steady her shaking hands. No, there was no way Regina was dead. That woman was far too stubborn to go out like that.

The instant Gold rounded the corner and disappeared with a wave of his hand and a flash of smoke, Emma emerged from her hiding spot and sprinted towards the vault. She pummelled hard into the door only to find it locked, resulting in a sore shoulder.

"Regina?!" She yelled, but then instantly closed her mouth, realising that Cruella, Ursula or Maleficent could be inside.

For a moment she stayed still, unsure of what her next move should be, but after a few seconds, a familiar voice called out to her.

"Emma?"

"Regina! Open the door!" She called back, relief flooding through her.

"I can't, Gold trapped my magic." Regina answered.

"Okay, just one second." Emma said. She had never teleported herself before but there was a first for everything, she figured.

It turned out that all she needed to perform the magic was enough motivation. Letting herself feel the worry she felt for Regina sent her magic spiralling forth within minutes and before she even realised that she'd done it she felt her cloud of magic engulf her and when she opened her eyes she was stood beside the dark-haired woman.

"Thank God, Regina, I was so worried," Emma said as she enveloped her in a tight hug.

Regina raised her eyebrows and stiffened, "Really, Miss Swan, there's a time and a place. You've already wasted precious time just getting yourself in here."

"I thought you were dead! This is as good a time as any for a hug." Emma argued, but found herself blushing as she realised that she'd never really shown affection for Regina before. But when she glanced over the woman and noticed the handcuffs surrounding her wrists, the embarrassment quickly left her. "Regina, what-" She started to say but stopped when her eyes spotted something else, deep red marks the size of handprints encircled Regina's throat and though their cause was pretty obvious, she found herself asking tenderly, "What did he do to you?"

She reached towards the newly-formed bruises but Regina quickly slapped her hand away, "Nothing I can't heal, now listen to me, Gold will be back any minute and I need your help."

"What's he planning?" Emma asked, on full alert.

"He wants my help to turn you dark, he's been trying to coerce me to join his side."

Emma stifled and took a moment to let that information sink in, she wanted to ask why or how but there was no time now so she swallowed the questions that could wait and instead asked, "Well, can't you just lie?"

"Even if I do, he'll never trust me. He'll want me to sign some sort of deal I won't be able to back out of. We need another plan, some kind of leverage against him."

"Leverage against Gold? You think we can go up against him?"

Regina balked, "This is the Evil Queen you're speaking to. I can go up against _anyone._ It's Gold who should be afraid right now, not us."

Emma inwardly cringed, the last thing she needed was Regina getting back in touch with her dark side but she was well aware of the stakes. They needed to win this battle. "What would you suggest then, your majesty?"

Regina smiled, "We go after Gold's one weakness."

"Belle?" Emma widened her eyes, "I'm not hurting Belle!"

"You won't need to, you just need to take her heart. You can force her to forget the whole experience afterwards."

"Her heart? I don't know how to take hearts! That's your speciality, not mine." Emma complained.

"Emma, we don't have a choice-" Regina stopped talking suddenly and peered upwards, straining her ears, "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

Regina held up a finger to silence her. Yes, footsteps.

"He's coming back, there's no time, you have to go now."

"Already?! But, I-"

"Now!" Regina shouted, frowning at the incompetence of the woman.

Emma nodded and closed her eyes. She tried desperately to picture her parents loft and place herself there, but panic was beginning to bubble in her stomach as Gold got nearer and the fear chased away her intentions again and again.

"What are you waiting for?" Regina hissed.

"I can't!" She cried in panic just as they heard the door to the vault creek open above them.

"Hide!"

Without a second to spare, Emma darted behind the corner. It wasn't much of a hiding place but so long as Gold kept his eyes on Regina and didn't wander around the room, he wouldn't see her. Though, as he entered the room and took slow, deliberate steps towards Regina she was sure he would hear her heart pounding.

His voice echoed about the vault, cold and unnerving, "Now, where were we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Regina kept her face passive as Gold approached. He was trying to intimidate her and there was no way in hell she was going to be intimidated.

"I was quicker than I'd expected to be, but I hope that the time you had alone was still adequate to change your mind?" Gold asked, smirking at her, daring her to refuse.

"No amount of time will turn me into the willing servant of a cowardly imp." Regina spat at him.

Gold's face cracked at the word cowardly, just as Regina had expected. What she didn't expect was for him to charge at her and strike her across the face with his fist. She tasted blood when she next peered up at him, her jaw throbbing. His eyes were flashing dangerously, but Regina's smile was back almost immediately.

"Is that all you've got?"

Gold clicked his fingers and Regina felt herself dragged to her feet by the handcuffs as they were magically pulled towards the ceiling until her toes left the ground, leaving her dangling painfully by her wrists. She grunted, but sealed her lips shut to keep from crying out, unwilling to give him any satisfaction.

"You know as well as I do, that that was not all that I've got." Gold clicked his fingers once more and Regina gasped as she felt her body begin to constrict, as though a python were tightening its body around her chest. All at once it became difficult to breathe and the pressure on her ribs increased until she was sure they would break.

Unable to speak, she fought to keep her glare on her face, but her lip was beginning to tremble as unwanted memories came flooding back.

"Feel familiar?" Gold chuckled, "I know constriction was one of Cora's favourite punishments." Regina tried to speak but managed nothing but grunts, unable even to breathe out.

Gold clicked his fingers once more, releasing some of the pressure on her chest, "Tell me, when did you grow to care for the saviour?"

"The only person I care about is me." Regina said.

"Really? Well I struggle to see how defying me is in your best interests right now?"

"I care about the person I used to be, the person I was before you destroyed me. That girl is who I am, I will not be the monster that you made me anymore." She said, only realising her motives as she spoke them. Gold wasn't wrong, she did care about Emma, she'd grown to care for her during everything they'd been through together, it was only natural. But with or without Emma, her decision to defy Gold would have been the same.

"I merely guided you. You did the rest yourself."

"You manipulated my entire life." Regina was seething again, a lot of resentment for Gold had been bubbling inside of her for a long time.

Gold chuckled, amused at her anger, before raising a hand once again and magically tightening Regina's throat.

She started to cough straight away, gasping for breath. Beneath her own desperate sounds she heard movement behind her. Emma.

"No!" She spluttered out, loudly as she could.

Gold smirked, believing she was talking to him. "Had enough?" He flicked his wrist and the suffocating sensation left her.

"What would Neal think of you, now?" She asked, trying to figure out her next move. It seemed appealing to what was left of his good side might be her only option.

"Neal is gone." Gold muttered, darkly. "And so is my only motivation to suppress the darkness. Surely, you remember that feeling well?"

Regina grimaced, "I remember the feeling and I regret that I let it consume me. Just as you will when fate screws you over yet again. Haven't you figured it out yet, Gold? There are powers higher than all of us, conspiring against evil. Villains never win. We've both seen that time and time again."

Gold waved at her and she gasped as her body was flung into the wall behind her, the chains on her wrists dragging her higher still.

"Until my story is over, there's no telling who has won. I promise you, I will get what I want. I'll do it because I'm not willing to let anything or anyone stand in my way." He twisted his hand, spinning Regina around so that she was facing the wall. "Including you."

Regina heard a whooshing sound and repressed the urge to gulp when she realised what Gold had produced in his hand. The whip came down hard on her back and she couldn't help but let out a groan before biting her lip. Again he hit her.

"How many will it take, huh?" Gold asked as he brought it down with more force.

When Regina had shouted "No!", Emma had known that she was speaking to her, not Gold, and had stilled herself behind the corner. She'd been ready to burst out into the open and take on Gold but Regina clearly thought there was another way out of this so she decided to trust in her for a moment, give her a chance to escape Gold alone. But when Gold brought out a whip and brought it down hard on Regina's back, tearing her blouse and creating deep red lashes, Emma knew she couldn't stand by any longer.

She took a moment to focus herself, knowing she needed her magic now more than ever. She would only have a small amount of time to get Regina out of here, the element of surprise being her only advantage. Taking a deep breath, she clearly pictured in her mind what she needed to do.

She counted to three and then sprung from the corner, hands raised emitting white magic which hit Gold hard and sent him tumbling backwards onto the ground. In the second it took him to figure out what had happened, Emma frantically reached for Regina, placed her hands on her shoulders and whisked the two of them out of the vault.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you insane?" Regina roared the moment they landed.

Emma quickly glanced around, she'd been too frantic to picture one clear place in her mind and the uncertainty as she'd transported the two of them had scared her. She breathed a sigh of relief that they were mere steps from the town line, far away from the vault. Then, she threw back, "Are you? Sorry if I wasn't content with listening to him torture you indefinitely! He wasn't going to just give in any time soon." Regina opened her mouth to argue but Emma interrupted with "-and don't even try to tell me you had a better plan."

Regina sighed, "Not yet but I would have had you given me half the chance."

"God, Regina, he whipped you!" Emma said, exasperated. She took ahold of Regina's shoulders, forcibly turning her around to assess the damage.

Her blouse was torn in bloody streaks in several places and the blood was rapidly spreading throughout the material. Regina hissed as she trailed a finger gently down one of the marks, "Do you mind?"

Emma ignored her, "Can you heal yourself?"

"I can only heal what I can see and reach, but we can worry about cleaning me up later." Regina snapped, turning back around. "Gold will be after both of us now that he knows you're aware of his plan, thanks to your rash actions."

"Regina, you can complain all you want to about me saving your ass, but I'm not going to regret what I did."

Regina snorted, "Well, now he's probably planning to capture us both and hold us until he finds a way to turn you dark, so you haven't saved my ass quite yet, Miss Swan. He's going to find us any minute now."

"What do you suggest?" Emma asked, beginning to worry again now that the adrenaline was fading. She knew that Regina was right.

"We get out of here, right now." She grabbed ahold of Emma's arm and began dragging her towards the town line but Emma pulled back.

"Without the Snow Queen's scroll? We'll never get back in," Emma complained, "And what about Henry? We can't leave him here, unprotected."

"We have our phones, when it's safe to come back we can call someone to bring us the scroll and let us in. As for Henry, Gold won't go after him, he's his grandson."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I've seen him with Henry, he's been treating him like a younger Neal. So that's one thing I am sure of."

"Okay, but what about the bug? If Gold follows us out of here, I don't want to be on foot."

"Gold won't follow us, it took him long enough to figure out a way back into town the first time. He'll know that we'll have to come back at some point and he'll be waiting." Regina explained, knitting her brow.

"What will we do then?"

"I have no idea." Regina exclaimed, slapping her hands to her sides. "All I know is if we're not over that town line in the next few minutes, we'll be dragged back to the vault. This is our only option right now, so are you done wasting time with questions?"

Emma bit her lip and nodded. This time when Regina grabbed her arm and walked them towards the town line, she offered no resistance.

Regina breathed out deeply and closed her eyes as they stepped out, Emma shuddered.

"What was that?" Emma asked.

"That was the magic leaving your body."

Emma frowned, "I didn't feel that the last few times I left town."

"Probably because you weren't as in touch with your magic as you are now."

"I feel… Weaker, vulnerable." Emma shivered, fear setting in as she came to terms with their situation.

Regina surprised her by placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. It'll come back once we return, when we really need it. For now, try and remember your time before Storybrooke. You were pretty tough back then, from what I've heard anyway."

"It would help if I had my gun." Emma grumbled.

"You don't need a gun. I seem to recall you having a strong right hook." Regina smiled.

Emma laughed at that, "You too. I had a fat lip for a week."

"We'll be fine." Regina said, but it almost sounded like she was speaking to herself. "Besides, we still have a little something."

"A little something?"

"A little magic." At Emma's confused expression, Regina reached into her pocket and pulled out a bright green amulet.

"Zelena's necklace? How?"

"Regardless of what you may think, I was in the process of making a plan. I had the idea that if I could somehow get ahold of this amulet, I could surprise Gold with a burst of magic from it whilst he believed the handcuffs had rendered me powerless. I just didn't have a way to get it."

"So, how-?"

"You gave me the opportunity. The moment you took ahold of my shoulders and I felt myself leaving the handcuffs and the vault, the moment I felt my magic come back, I summoned it."

"That is seriously quick thinking." Emma smiled, impressed. "Does it still work though? Didn't we agree that the time portal was created from the amulet? That might have drained what magic it still contained."

"There's only one way to find out" Regina said. She placed a hand gently over the amulet and pulled on the elements inside. Immediately she felt warmth and a soft light began to emit from it along with a low vibration. "There's some in there alright. Just not much." She placed the amulet at her neck and tightened the clasp behind her. "We'll use it for healing. Hopefully there'll be enough. The next step is getting away from here for a while and coming up with a plan."

Emma's eyes widened as a thought came to her, "We don't have any money, how are we going to get anywhere?"

"We call for help."

"Well that'd be a great idea if it weren't for the fact that all the people we know live in the town that we're trying to get away from."

"Not all of them."

Emma raised her eyebrows, questioningly.

Regina reached into her pocket once again and retrieved another holy grail, a small slip of paper with a phone number scribbled on it in black pen. She smiled widely, "Robin."


	5. Chapter 5

After a conversation that Regina had kept as brief as possible, promising to answer his questions when she saw him, Robin told them that it would take about seven hours for him to reach them by car. He was also still unsure of his driving skills, having only been in this world for a matter of months, but he would do his best, he'd assured them.

Unfortunately, given the sleeping spells they'd both so recently been under, napping away the time while they waited wasn't an option. Instead they began walking, putting distance between Gold and themselves, if anything just to feel a little safer. Regina refused to let Emma treat her wounds on account of her unstable emotional state, not to mention her lack of experience. If she was going to be magically healed, it was going to be done right, with no lasting scars, she'd said.

After walking along the side of an empty highway for hours, Emma's blisters had finally had enough. "Stop," She pleaded, reaching down to remove her boots, freeing her feet and wriggling her toes. "How in the hell have you been keeping up in those things?" She asked, gesturing to Regina's heels.

"These? These are nothing, Miss Swan. You wouldn't have lasted a day in my shoes in the Enchanted Forest. Or my outfits, for that matter." Regina stated. "Walking isn't exactly going to get us to Robin much quicker though, if you wanted to stop so badly, you should have just asked."

Emma rolled her eyes as she collapsed onto her ass on the grass, sighing in relief as her feet were freed from her weight. "God, that feels good."

"You would have made quite the princess." Regina said, dripping with sarcasm. It was only when Emma didn't respond that she realised she'd just made a joke about the way she'd ripped her from her family and she quickly met Emma's gaze with a spark of worry.

Emma didn't look hurt, though. Instead, she was still looking ahead, one eyebrow raised and an amused smile on her lips. "True that." She chuckled, then quietened, musing, "Man, I really would have been awful. Those people should be thankful they were spared having me as their future Queen."

"You'd have made a better knight." Regina said, suddenly realising how true it was. It was the reason Emma had succeeded at her role as the Saviour, her desperate need to protect. She thought back to that day Emma had half-carried her through smoke and flames and, God, she'd been such a bitch, she knew it, even at the time she knew it and yet Emma had saved her and told her she'd do it again and again. And again, she had. This time the last of many, hopefully the last of all.

"That sounds more like it." Emma agreed.

"Henry gets that from you. His longing to help people, to fight for what's right."

"He gets that from both of us." Emma said, prompting Regina to look at her questioningly. "Come on, Regina. If anything, _you're_ the fighter out of the two of us. Look at all you've been through and you still keep fighting, every day. What you said to Gold, that you want to be the girl you used to be again, that you refuse to be a monster. That takes balls, after over thirty years of darkness, to still grab at the light. Serious balls."

Regina swallowed the emotions that came with Emma's statements, "Not strength, just desperation."

"Sure." Emma laughed. "Whatever you say."

Regina looked to her feet before joining Emma on the ground and removing her shoes also. Just like Emma's, they were covered in multiple blisters, bleeding in some places.

Emma rolled her eyes. Regardless of what Regina believed, in Emma's eyes she was the strongest woman she knew.

"I think I'm calm enough to heal our feet, if you want? It won't use up any significant amount of the magic." Regina offered.

"Please!" Emma cried, shifting so her feet were closer to Regina's.

The older woman smiled and quickly waved her hands over them, Emma gasped at the tingling sensation of her skin smoothing itself out. Then Regina healed herself. It felt weird, different from her own magic, but still as easy as second nature. The magic coursed through her fingers just as her own did but she could tell it was not her own. They sat in silence for a moment and Emma noticed the strain on Regina's brow.

"Are you worried? About seeing Robin, I mean?" She asked, cautiously.

"No." Regina answered all too quickly, as obvious lie to Emma's trained ears. At Emma's frown she continued, "But, I'm not exactly looking forward to it, either."

"I don't blame you." Emma mumbled. She wanted to tell Regina how sorry she was again, about Marian, but she'd overdone the apologies and she knew another wouldn't be appreciated. So instead, she twiddled her thumbs.

"I don't blame you." Regina said.

For a moment Emma thought she was just repeating her for some reason and she looked up in confusion before realising what Regina meant. She startled visibly, wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

"For Marian. I don't blame you."

"Really?" Emma stuttered, unsure of what else to say. The statement was unexpected, to say the least.

"Really. I killed her, after all. How twisted is it that the only reason things were working out between my soul mate and I is that I murdered his wife?"

"You didn't know." Emma said, knowing how little she was helping.

"Little difference that makes. No, I know you did the right thing. She didn't deserve to die that way. None of the many I murdered did." Regina took a deep, unsteady breath. "Any way, if it was meant to work, he would have chosen me and he didn't. That was his choice, you didn't have any part in that."

Emma took a moment, grinding her teeth, unsure what to say. "Either way, I know you're hurting. Just know that if you need a friend, you have me." As she spoke she placed her hand gently over Regina's, her uncertainty vanishing as Regina entwined her fingers with her own.

Before Regina had a chance to answer, her phone rang, Robin's name on the screen.

"Robin?" She answered, her voice shaky.

Emma heard muffled, incomprehensible words on the other side.

"Great, we'll wave you down." Regina said, hanging up the phone and turning to Emma, "He's on this road, minutes away."

Emma nodded and stood with Regina to peer down the road. Minutes later, an old blue Corsa, as Robin had described over the phone, approached and the two women raised their arms to signal him.

He pulled over and rushed over to meet them. Emma saw his expression change as he took in Regina's appearance. The bruising around her neck was now livid, a myriad of deep reds and purples.

"Regina?" He gasped as he approached, placing his hands on her waist, "What happened?"

"We'll explain on the way." Regina said, simply and began walking toward the car.

Robin let out a strangled cry as he spotted the wounds on her back but Emma placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head at him. He got the hint and swallowed what must have been bile as he followed the two back to his car.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma had conveniently placed herself in the backseat, giving Regina and Robin at least a little privacy in what was definitely a delicate situation for both of them. The first half hour was the most painful. Robin had thrown an abundance of questions at her and though Regina had given him minimal information and not gone into any detail about what had occurred, Robin's anger showed in the way his knuckles were turning white as he held the steering wheel in a death grip. It was evident that he still cared a great deal for Regina, but Regina was well aware of the hopelessness of what may not may not be between them and she refused to show any kind of emotion while speaking to him, instead giving one-word answers and tight-lipped responses.

The half hour after that wasn't much better. They spent it in silence, Robin clearly annoyed at the way Regina was closing herself off from him. Regina stared straight out of the window, seemingly content with the silence and Emma closed her eyes for a moment, processing everything that had happened and allowing herself a moment to rest in the quiet, considering there may not be much more of it. She doubted that the two of them staying in Robin's apartment with his wife was going to be a pleasant time.

After a while longer, Robin finally broke the silence, "Will you at least tell me how you've been? Since I- Since we left?"

Emma kept her eyes closed when she heard Regina shuffle around in her seat to look at her, she knew Robin wouldn't calm down until they'd had something of a meaningful conversation, so she pretended to be asleep until Regina turned back around.

"How do you think?" She questioned.

A pause, Robin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, "Probably about as well as I've been."

"Don't." Regina said simply.

"Don't, what?"

"Just don't." Regina spat, "Don't pretend this has been as hard for you as it has been for me. It was your choice to leave. Yours. While you've been cosying up with your wife, I've had no one, Robin, no one."

Her outburst surprised Emma, it sounded as though Regina might be close to tears. Gold hadn't even elicited that from her during torture and Robin had caused it in just a few sentences of conversation. The thought made Emma seethe with anger.

"It's not like that." Robin said at last.

"Not like what?"

"I can't force myself to love her, Regina. I can't force myself to be with her."

"It seems to me that that's exactly what you've done."

Robin angrily slammed a hand on the steering wheel.

"Shh! You'll wake Emma!" Regina whispered angrily at him. "You made your choice, Robin, it's as simple as that."

"There is nothing simple about this situation."

Regina didn't respond. Emma stayed still, eyes closed.

A little later, Robin spoke again, "Marian has changed. She's not the woman I fell in love with."

Regina didn't even offer him a glance, eyes staring out the window, watching the world rush by.

"I don't think she loves me, either."

Through half-opened eyes, Emma watched Regina spin around sharply to face him. She felt her own stomach drop at his words and with it came a heavy feeling of dread. She prayed silently that Regina would shout at him, call him names or continue with her silent treatment. Why she felt that way, she wasn't sure at first. If Regina could work it out with Robin, that should be great. But she didn't want that to happen. She shook her head a little, clearing her thoughts. She was just being protective, that was all. Protective of a woman who had slowly become a friend. Robin had hurt her. She just didn't want to see her get hurt again.

"Um, why-" Regina stumbled over her words, "Why do you think that?"

She sounded hopeful, Emma realised, and the feeling of dread intensified.

"Ever since she first came back, she hasn't been herself. I don't know if maybe what happened changed her… But the values that we used to share… Well, we don't anymore. If I still felt connected to her in any way, if she was still the woman I married, I would be fighting to make it work, to do the honourable thing, but I don't, she's not… Shes-" Robin sighed in exasperation. "I don't know who she is anymore."

"Maybe you should have figured that out before running back to her." Regina said, before turning back to face the window, seemingly unaffected by his admission. But Emma could see her face in the side mirror and her eyes were glistening with tears, her brow knitted. Regina just didn't want Robin to see how she felt. Emma wanted nothing more than to grab ahold of her hand or embrace her in a fierce hug, to make her forget Robin. When Regina glanced up and almost caught her eye in the mirror, however, she quickly shut her eyes, hoping she hadn't seen her awake.

The rest of the drive passed in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma greatly surprised herself by actually falling asleep after pretending for so long and when the car came to a rather abrupt stop, thanks to Robin's questionable driving skills, she jerked awake with a gasp. She woke facing the window, it was dark outside.

"You are one of the noisiest sleepers I've ever had the displeasure of listening to, Miss Swan." Regina accused, turning to face the blonde with a frown.

"Good morning to you too." Emma grumbled, still half-asleep, "Was I really that bad?"

"Atrocious." Robin supplied.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Oh, we tried." Regina answered.

"Several times" Robin added.

Emma cringed, they were finishing each other's sentences now? She hoped she hadn't missed too much bonding between them on the journey here. She didn't miss the small smile which the pair exchanged after speaking, either. Like they were sharing an inside joke at her expense. Eager to get moving and, she thought guiltily, to get Marian back in the way as quickly as possible, Emma reached for the car door handle as she undid her seatbelt.

"Wait!" Robin called, reaching back with a hand to stop her.

Both Emma and Regina glared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Let me go inside first," Robin said quickly, then added when they continued to glare at him, "to explain to Marian what you're doing here."

"You haven't told her?" Regina shouted, angrily.

"She was out with Roland when you called. Excuse me for being a bit too panicked and frantic to call and explain things to her before I left." Robin said, his voice defensively high-pitched.

"It would have taken two minutes to call before you left and we've stopped at several gas stations. That's ample opportunity!" Regina argued. "Why hasn't she called to check on you if she didn't know where you went?"

Robin grimaced, "Let's just say I'm often in and out. She's stopped bothering to keep tabs on me now."

Regina bawked.

"Not like that!" Robin explained quickly, shaking his head, "We've not been seeing other people. We've just been spending more time apart, that's all."

"What if she doesn't let us stay?" Regina asked.

"She doesn't have much of a choice, it's too late now that you're here. I'd put my foot down on this, anyway."

Emma rolled her eyes. Put his foot down, right. The reason he hadn't told Marian beforehand proved that he didn't think he could stand up to her. He'd waited until now so she wouldn't have much choice but to let them stay, lest they end up on the streets.

"Please, just wait. I'll be quick, I promise." Robin said as he unbuckled his belt, opened the car door and before either of them could protest, he was jogging towards the apartment building, leaving the pair alone in the car.

"I called Henry, explained we'd be away for a little while. He's staying at your parents." Regina said. "He wanted to speak to you, but you were too busy shaking the earth with your incessant snoring so I told him you'd call him later."

"Sure," Emma said, "So what's going on with Robin?"

Regina spun around at the abrupt change in subject, "None of your business." She snapped.

"You guys do much bonding while I was out of it?" Emma probed again.

"What part of none of your business did you not understand?"

"Hey," Emma raised her hands in surrender, "I'm just looking out for you."

"I don't need anyone to look out for me. Especially not where my love life is concerned."

"Look, Regina, I know what it's like to be in love and I know that it can be blinding. Just don't rush into anything too soon, okay? Don't forget everything that happened just because you're happy to see him again."

"I am not happy to see him again!"

"Okay, whatever," Emma said, knowing she had probably overstepped the mark.

After a moment of silence, Regina muttered quietly, "Besides, it's not as if he could leave Marian and come back to Storybrooke with Roland now, anyway. Not without separating mother and child."

Emma allowed herself a small, sad smile. Happy that Regina seemed to have let down one of her walls but saddened at her pain. "Hey, you've lasted this long without him just fine." She reassured the brunette.

"Indeed I have." She agreed, "Henry is all I need."

"I hope their apartment isn't too small." Emma said, prompting a chuckle from Regina.

"Big or small, I think that it's going to feel a little crowded either way."

"Well, it's New York. No reason to stay cooped up in there." Emma grinned widely, "This is my territory, how about we do some city-exploring?"

"If it gets me out of the apartment, I'm all for it."

Emma bubbled with excitement, thinking of all the places she could take Regina. She wondered briefly if she'd ever been to a club and realised that, aside from The Rabbit Hole, which was a bit of a dump anyway, Regina had probably never seen anything like it. She'd also probably never been bowling, or ice skating, or to watch a game. The list was endless and for the first time since finding Regina in that vault, Emma felt genuinely content. She thought about what she'd learnt from people like Hook and her parents, about living in the moments of good amongst all the crazy that was going on. This was a good moment and she was determined to grasp it.

"Your look of glee is discerning, Miss Swan." Regina's voice snapped her out of her musings and Emma looked up to see the brunette staring at her with an amused expression.

Before she could answer, Regina's door opening caused them both to snap around to see that Robin had returned.

"After you, milady." He said, holding Regina's door open for her.

To Emma's delight, Regina didn't smile or offer a thank you as she stepped out of the car and a look of confusion and disappointment passed on Robin's face before he opened Emma's door for her.

"So Marian's okay with this?" Emma asked.

"Fine." Robin said, unconvincingly.

Not expecting Marian's hospitality anyway, Emma just smiled, happy that they weren't being thrown on the street at least and the pair of them followed Robin as he ascended the stairs to his apartment. It wasn't the dingiest place Emma had ever seen during her time in cities but compared to the places in Storybrooke, it was quite a grim sight with its peeling wallpaper and suspicious floor stains. Regina looked absolutely repulsed and was making no effort to hide the disgusted look on her face, even as Marian opened the door to them.

"Regina," Marian nodded curtly, "Emma."

When Regina didn't respond, Emma nodded back, "Hey."

Once Regina stepped into the room, Marian let her eyes roam over her and Emma could swear she saw a hint of a smile as she caught sight of the bruising around Regina's neck. Emma clenched her fists.

Marian cleared her throat, "Regina, Robin told me what happened. I'm so sorry."

Regina simply nodded and then turned to Robin, "Is there somewhere I could go to clean myself up?"

"The bathroom's through here," Robin said and led her down a narrow hallway to the door. After holding it open for her, he moved to followed her through but Regina placed her hand on his chest to stop him.

"A little privacy?" She asked.

"Regina, I-" Robin started to argue but he trailed off as she glared him down, "Sure. Call if you need anything."

"Emma?" Regina called back down the corridor, "Could you come with me?"

Robin scrunched his brow and raised his hands questioningly.

"I require what few healing abilities she may have." Regina said, curtly, "For what I can't reach."

"Magic?"

"I'll explain later."

"Of course." Robin nodded, politely and turned to leave.

X

As Regina had followed Robin down the hall, Emma had watched Marian catch sight of the horror that was Regina's back. During the drive, the blood had continued to spread and her shirt had stuck to her skin. Seeing it again made Emma's blood boil but it seemed to have the opposite effect on Marian who looked as though she was struggling not to smile, the corners of her mouth twitching, eyes glowing.

"So you're okay with this?" Emma asked, as she glared at Marian.

Marian shifted uncomfortably, realising Emma may have noticed her expression, "As okay as I can be." She said. "After all, what Regina and Robin had is over. I haven't got any reason to be concerned, have I?"

The question wasn't rhetorical, Emma realised, "No. No reason." She said, confused. Robin had made it sound like their relationship was falling apart when he was speaking to Regina but it didn't seem that Marian agreed.

"Emma?" Regina called. "Could you come with me?"

Emma gave Marian one last smile and then left her standing there. As she made her way to the bathroom she heard Regina explain to Robin that she was needed for her magic. She smiled smugly at Robin as he passed, not missing the frown on his face.


	8. Chapter 8

"You look a little too glad about my imminent discomfort, Miss Swan." Regina said as Emma closed the door behind her.

Quickly wiping the smug smirk she'd produced for Robin's benefit off of her face, Emma stumbled over her words, "Sorry, I, um, I'm just glad we're okay. I let myself have a moment."

Regina raised an eyebrow, she had seen who Emma's smile was intended for and it wasn't one of good spirits. The small amount of Evil Queen still left in her, however, revelled in Robin's discomfort just as much as Emma had seemed too, so she let it slide . "Well, don't get ahead of yourself. We still have a long journey ahead of us."

Emma nodded in agreement. "Oh, I know-" She started to say but stopped abruptly when Regina began unbuttoning her blouse. Emma glanced around the room, nervously avoiding the view and trying desperately to appear interested in the candles adorning the windowsill.

"I'm sure it's nothing you've not seen before, Emma."

Emma's head snapped back. "I'm just, you know…" She stumbled yet again, cursing herself for her awkwardness, where had those awkward genes come from anyway? "-respecting your modesty." She finished lamely.

"Well, get over it. You need to focus if you're going to help me. I can't have you shuffling around me like a skittish puppy."

"Right, sorry." Emma agreed, attempting to steady her shaking hands as Regina finished with the last button. She wasn't surprised to see an elaborate deep red, lacy bra. Regina was always dressed immaculately, it only made sense that she would take just as much pride in her underwear.

Emma knew that Regina had breasts worthy of her jealousy, having noticed them in Regina's many plunging necklines. On more than one occasion, Emma had found herself staring but that view didn't even compared to what was in front of her now. Seeing Regina in her bra only, with very little left to the imagination, had a blush immediately rising through her cheeks and she prayed that it wasn't noticeable. The burning in her face suggested otherwise, though. She felt immediately guilty, looking at Regina in that way at a time like this. What sort of friend was she?

"Have a look at where it's stuck to my skin, see if you can peel it off." Regina said, matter-of-factly as she spun around to expose her bloody back.

Immediately forgetting her nerves as she stepped forward with concern to get a better look, Emma said, "There's no way that that's going to come off painlessly by peeling. We need to wet it."

Regina unbuttoned her pants.

"Woah, woah. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get in the shower and I'd rather not get all of my clothes wet." Regina explained incredulously as she rolled them down past her hips.

Emma raised her eyes skyward for a moment, why did she have to wear matching panties? There was no question, Regina was gorgeous, but why was this making her so uncomfortable? She had plenty of attractive friends but none of them made her feel like this. Not even remotely.

A spray of cold water on her face almost made her laugh out loud, it was as though the universe was telling her to take a cold shower.

Regina grasped at Emma's arm to steady herself as she climbed awkwardly into the bath which doubled as a shower, now dressed in only her bra and panties, with a shirt hanging from her back, having removed her arms from the sleeves. She hissed in pain as she stepped under the water and Emma rushed to turn the power down a little, softening the downpour.

"Thanks." Regina mumbled, as she stepped forward and adjusted herself so that her back was fully under the shower. She lowered her head, keeping the water from her eyes and letting it run down her hair and off the sides. "What are you waiting for?"

Emma stepped closer to the bathtub and reached towards her back.

"Emma, get in the shower. You can't peel it from that angle. If I'd known how incompetent you'd be I would have brought Robin in to help."

Emma frowned at that, the idea of Robin seeing Regina like this not sitting well with her at all, and quickly removed her jacket and shoes. After a quick inner debate, she decided to remove her jeans but keep on her tank top. Jeans would be heavy and impractical if they got wet, but her tank top wouldn't be much of a problem. She could just about deal with looking at Regina, all damp and undressed. She didn't want to be nearly naked as well.

She stood behind Regina, squinting her eyes under the shower spray, and gently rested her hands on Regina's back, moving them around a little to see just how stuck the shirt was. "Okay, it's not so bad."

As the water rained down, the dried blood began to wash away, little by little. It was a painful process but a far cry better than the dry peeling that Regina had imagined and so she was thankful. Emma was gentle, very gentle. Regina had never thought of Emma as gentle. She was boisterous and reckless, not gentle. Yet her fingers had a feathers touch as they slowly loosened the material on her back. There was something almost pleasurable about the experience. She closed her eyes and sighed a little.

Emma had to stop herself from groaning when Regina sagged forward and let out a long, humming breath. Man, this felt intimate. Too intimate. She forced herself to focus on her task. It didn't take long but once the dried blood had mostly washed away, the wounds began to bleed again. Emma worked quickly, careful not to hurt the brunette more than was necessary, and eventually the shirt lay on the floor.

When Regina turned around, she couldn't help but notice the way that the water had rendered Emma's white tank top almost entirely see-through, exposing a black bra underneath. She felt a shiver run up her spine and averted her gaze. "Thanks." Regina mumbled. "Lets dry up and then you can start healing what you can."

As Regina stumbled out of the bathtub a little too hastily, Emma couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same discomfort as she did. She grinned a little. Regina took two towels from the back of the door and handed one to Emma. After some gentle drying of Regina's back, Emma reached for the amulet that still hung around Regina's neck, "So how do I use this thing?"

Regina unclasped the necklace and tied it around Emma's neck instead, "Have a feel, it's hard to explain until you've experienced it."

Emma did as she was told, placing her hand over the amulet just as Regina had done earlier. The warmth was immediate, slightly warmer than the feeling her own magic gave her. The vibration felt different too, sharper. She shivered as she felt the magic pulse through her fingers. "Wow."

Regina spun around again, her back to Emma, "Hold your hands over my back, wait until you can feel the magic steadily pulsing through you before you attempt anything. If it feels like the magic is draining, like there's not much left, stop. Just do what you can."

Emma nodded even though she wasn't looking, a nod that was more meant as a reassurance to herself than Regina. She didn't like responsibility, she never had. The hardest thing about moving to Storybrooke and meeting her family and Henry had been their dependence on her, she didn't feel worthy of it. Afraid she would hurt Regina, she took her time. When the flow of magic felt steady, she focused on what she wanted to do. It surprised her when, like before when she had used her magic to teleport into the vault and then to teleport the two of them to safety, the magic came easy. She watched with a wide smile as, lash by lash, the wounds disappeared before her eyes, leaving nothing but flawless skin.

"I- I did it." Emma gasped, not entirely trusting what she was seeing.

Regina seemed to be just as surprised, immediately reaching around to feel her back and glancing in the mirror to see that Emma was right, the lashes were gone. No scars in sight. "You did."

Emma almost wanted to jump up and down on the spot, not remembering the last time she'd been so pleased with herself.

"Okay, do you think you can do something about the bruising on my neck? I know it might not stop the pain but I'd rather not walk around the city looking like this."

Emma brightened at the mention of walking around the city, "Sure." Again she raised her hands, focusing on the purple and blue skin, but no magic came. She frowned, placing a hand on the amulet. Nothing.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked.

"It's gone." Emma said, her happiness quickly deflating.

"Gone? You used it all?" Regina reached out with a hand to feel the amulet. Her expression said it all.

"So that's it. The last of our magic."

"At least you got the worst of it. I'll just wear scarves for the remainder of our time here."

Emma nodded, "We'll go shopping."

Regina brightened at that.

They both jumped when Robin's voice sounded from the hall, "How?! You bitch!" A crash followed the shouting and Emma and Regina quickly exchanged worried glances before rushing out of the door towards the commotion.


	9. Chapter 9

The sight that greeted them did nothing to calm the rush of adrenaline they'd both felt at the first shout. Zelena was standing in Robin's living room, a gun in her hand pointed at Robin's head, her red hair as wild as her eyes. Broken china lay at her feet. The sound had woken Roland who had been asleep in his bed and his cries echoed throughout the room. Robin stood still but his clenched, shaking fists and red face showed his rage.

Regina and Emma skidded to a halt. Emma glanced at Regina and saw the same shock she was feeling. For a brief moment nobody spoke. Zelena's eyes flittered between each of them before finally settling on Regina and her gun hand, which was beginning to shake, changed target. Regina didn't even flinch as she looked down the barrel and then back at the sister she'd believed dead.

"What are you doing here?" Regina seethed, her voice low and dangerous. Emma felt a shiver at her words.

"I wasn't done with you, dear sister." Zelena smiled widely, showing all of her teeth, it was an unnerving expression. "You have all seriously underestimated me."

"Where is Marian?" Robin asked, his voice unsteady. "What have you done with my wife?!" The second sentence was a scream, his feet shifting as though he were barely resisting the urge to jump at Zelena, despite the weapon in her hand.

Zelena turned away from Regina to sneer at Robin, "Don't pretend you care, Hood, you didn't even notice that I'd taken her place."

"Where is she?" Robin spluttered, spittle flying from his mouth.

Zelena dramatically wiped spit from her face with a disgusted look and said, "Dead. Long gone. Not that anyone's been missing her."

Robin took a step forward but Zelena swung the gun towards him, stopping in his tracks, "Stay where you are."

"Why have you done this?" Regina asked, her mind whirling.

"Why do you think?" Zelena laughed, manically.

"To hurt me."

"You had everything. Not only the upbringing that belonged to me, but a soul mate, too! I thought that taking him from you would be enough. But instead, I've spent weeks watching him pine over pictures of you when he thought I wasn't looking, listening to the bedtime stories he told Roland about an Evil Queen turned hero." She cackled. " As if his personality wasn't insufferable enough… And then you show up, looking like you're doing just _fine_. I was going to stay here, win his heart and then leave the both of you broken, but he's too pathetic. He'll sob over you until his dying breath. In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to hear when this is all over."

"You think killing will make you feel better?" Emma asked, "It won't change a thing, Zelena. Revenge won't change a thing about your life."

"That's where you're wrong. Revenge will change everything." Zelena said. "If I'm going to live out the rest of my days happily, it's going to be in a world without any of you in it."

Emma swallowed. Zelena was planning to kill them all. She knew exactly what that would mean. Only light magic was capable of defeating Zelena back in Storybrooke, she'd already proven herself capable of beating the Dark One. Without either Emma or Regina, there was nobody to prevent Zelena from returning and wrecking havoc, nobody to stop her from taking over.

"Well, then what's stopping you?" Regina sneered, eyes wide and daring.

Emma stepped a little closer to her, flinching at her words. Why did Regina have to aggravate the woman with the gun? She was too used to being powerful, to having nothing to fear. But outside of Storybrooke, without a weapon, she was powerless against her sister. Emma felt sick at the thought that she'd just emptied the last of the magic in the amulet. If they still had that, they might have had a chance. Without it, they had nothing. Emma protectively put her arm on Regina's shoulder and stepped in front of her.

"Stand back, Saviour. Unless you want to be first." Zelena threatened, waving the gun at her.

Emma raised her hands in surrender but didn't move away.

"Now!" Zelena screamed, cocking the gun.

Emma did as she was told and stepped out of the way, very aware that Zelena meant it and knowing that she wouldn't be able to do much good if she was shot.

"Back away." Zelena ordered both Emma and Robin as she moved towards Regina, gun still raised.

Emma took a few steps back, as did Robin. She looked towards Regina who still didn't look at all nervous. She held Zelena's gaze steadily and glared straight back at her. Emma thought she might be sick, she'd already had to watch Regina being hurt, she didn't want to witness any more.

As Zelena approached, she placed the gun firmly against Regina's forehead and forced her back against the wall behind her. Emma held her breath, thankful that Regina was cooperating at least a little.

"I can't wait to watch the blood leave your body, to watch your eyes glaze over." Zelena drawled, then chuckled. "It's funny. Rumplestiltskin saved you last time, now I think he'd be an eager helper."

"Actually sis, last time I beat you myself."

Zelena growled and pushed the gun harder against Regina's head, eliciting a small grunt from her. "Too bad you don't have your light magic this time."

"Zelena,' Robin said, "Think about this for a moment-"

"What is there to think about?!" Zelena shouted, spinning to face Robin instead.

Robin backed away a little, "If you want to hurt Regina, why start with her? It'll be more painful for her to watch me die."

"Ever the honourable man, I see." Zelena smiled. "Good idea."

As Zelena stepped back from Regina, Emma released a breath. This way, Zelena's back was facing her. Thinking fast, the moment Zelena began to turn the gun away from Regina and towards Robin, the moment it was pointed simply at the wall between the two of them, Emma pounced.

She tackled Zelena heavily from behind, arms thrown around her neck, as she reached out, groping for the gun. The gun fired, once, twice, blasting holes in the wall and floor, terrified screams came from Roland's room following the two deafening sounds. Zelena swung wildly, but Emma held on for dear life, her hand around the gun, fighting against Zelena's attempts to raise it.

Robin and Regina bounded forward, each grabbing a firm hold of one of Zelena's arms, restraining her. She struggled fiercely, slamming her head back into Emma's in an effort to throw her off. When she let go, though she was dazed, with Zelena held still, the gun still pointed downwards, Emma was easily able to wrestle the weapon off of her. She wasted no time in pointing the gun at Zelena's face. The witch frowned, her shoulders slumped, but Emma wasn't fooled.

There was an odd sparkle in Zelena's eyes, a mischievous gleam. Emma could spot a lie even without hearing any words and Zelena didn't really believe the game was up. Emma knew it was going to happen in the split second before it did. Zelena raised her elbow with a jerk, hitting Robin Hood square in the face. As he stumbled back, she twisted, lifting a knee into his groin and the man went down with a loud groan. With her free hand, Zelena reached under her top and pulled a knife from the waistband of her pants.

She spun towards Regina, knife at her throat in an instant. Her eyes were murderous, there was no other emotion there. Just pure hatred and malice. This was a woman so desperate for revenge that nothing was going to stop her now. Emma knew that. She knew what she had to do.

As the knife cut into the soft skin at Regina's pulse point, creating a razor thin line of red, Emma aimed and pressed the trigger.


	10. Chapter 10

Zelena fell to the ground, the knife clattering beside her. Regina grasped her neck where the knife had scratched her. Robin stood from the ground and moved closer to get a better look at her injury, gently removing Regina's hand and replacing it with his own over the thin red line. It wasn't deep. Regina looked at Robin, smiled shakily, and then at Emma, who was still holding the gun in the same position, staring at the woman on the ground.

Zelena was bleeding from a bullet-sized hole in her forehead, her eyes open and unseeing, yet that murderous glint in them remained. She was dead, there was no doubt.

"Emma," Regina said, removing Robin's hand from her neck and approaching the blonde. She clasped the gun and Emma unfurled her fingers, letting the brunette take the weapon from her. Her eyes didn't waver from Zelena. Regina placed the gun on the counter and held Emma by her shoulders, "You did what you had to do. You saved me."

Finally, Emma looked at her. Tears glistening in her eyes. "She was going to kill you."

"Right, but she didn't. You stopped her." Regina reassured her and then turned to Robin. "How was she here? I thought she was dead."

"All I know is she was using that _necklace_ ," Robin gestured to the jewellery on the dining table, "to disguise herself as Marian. I don't know how. She- she said Marian was dead." He stumbled and reached out to the counter to steady himself, his eyelids heavy and sad, "My wife is still dead. _Was_ dead this entire time."

Regina took a step towards him, hands outstretched to comfort but he caught her wrists and lowered them. "Not now." He muttered, "Not now."

Regina looked to Emma, worriedly, then back down to Zelena. "Okay. We can discuss what she was doing later. Right now, we have a crying five-year-old in the next room and a dead body on the floor. What do we do?"

"Oh God, Roland!" Robin gasped, rushing into the boy's bedroom, slipping in and shutting the door behind him to shield him from the horrific sight.

Regina turned to Emma, "So, what do we do with the body?"

"I have no idea."

"I thought the outside criminal world was your territory."

Emma looked at Regina, incredulously, "I was a thief not a murderer." She argued. "If anything, this is your territory."

Regina shot Emma an angry glare, "It was different in the Enchanted Forest. The closest thing to police were guards and the best of them were on my side. I've never had to hide a body before."

"Okay, let me think."

"What, you think an answer will just come to you?"

"I've watched plenty of criminal TV shows."

"Oh, please impart the great wisdom you've learned from all your hours wasted in front of the television!"

"Will you just let me think?!" Emma snapped, angrily.

Regina crossed her arms.

"Okay, one good thing is that she's not going to be missed by anyone in this world. So there's no reason for the police to be suspicious unless we give them one." Emma said.

Regina saddened at the thought and it showed, her eyes darkening. "Not missed by anybody." She repeated, quietly.

"I mean, she was disguised as Marian, no one knew Zelena was living here." Emma tried to fix what she'd said. "I didn't mean that- I mean-"

"Don't worry, I know what you meant, Saviour." Regina calmed her. "It's just… She was my sister. She was exactly like I was thirty years ago, consumed with thoughts of revenge. Except she never got past the rage. It wasn't fair, the life that she had, anger and jealousy was all she knew."

"I'm sorry, Regina."

"She's not somebody I need to grieve." Regina muttered quietly, but as she did so she had to wipe at her eye to stop a tear from falling.

"She was your family. You have every reason to grieve."

Suddenly, Regina let out a loud sob and fell to her knees, shocking Emma with the drastic emotional change. She ran a hand through Zelena's hair as tears began to fall from her face. Gently, she closed Zelena's eyes. Wordlessly, Emma left her there to have a moment and walked around the sisters into Roland's room.

Robin was holding Roland in his lap, the little boy's eyes were closed, his crying over. Emma figured he'd be the only one sleeping easy tonight.

"How am I supposed to explain this to him?" Robin whispered, looking pleadingly up at Emma, "How do you explain to a child that his mother, who'd already died and come back once, is gone yet again? He's going to be traumatised."

"I'm sure we'll work something out." Emma sighed. "Maybe Regina can create a forgetting potion of some sort? He'd lose time but it'd be worth it, right?"

"Right." Robin agreed as he ran a hand through his son's curls. As they heard a small sob come from the other side of the door, Robin needlessly asked, "Is Regina okay?"

"I just shot her sister dead right in front of her, so no, I don't think Regina is okay." Emma snapped. When Robin looked taken aback she said, "Sorry, I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do." Her eyes widened suddenly as a thought occurred to her. "This whole building probably heard the gun shots. Someone could come up here any second!"

"It's the city, Emma. I know I've only been here a short time, but I'm sure that it's likely people will just ignore the sound."

"We hope." Emma sighed.

"What are we going to do with the body?"

"I don't know. Bury her somewhere, dump her in water-"

"No." Regina's voice came from the doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying but anger was the dominant feature on her face after hearing Emma's words. "We're not going to let her rot somewhere, unknown. I know she's done terrible things but I- I don't know, I want her to be laid to rest with some dignity. Her entire life was misery, I don't want her end to be just as horrid."

Robin tucked Roland under his covers and ushered the women out of the room with him before arguing, "Regina, she just tried to kill us all!"

"You think I don't know that?" Regina snapped back. "I saw exactly what you both saw, but the difference is that I understood her. I know how she felt. I was her once, but while I was given a second chance, she wasn't. That could be me, Robin. I could be the dead one if luck hadn't favoured me for some reason."

"You're being ridiculous. You wanted to change, she didn't." Robin said.

"I didn't always want to change! I killed thousands before I made that decision."

Emma watched as a dark expression crossed Robin's face for a moment and she wondered if he was thinking about the fact that Marian was amongst those thousands. He pressed his lips together and shrugged in defeat.

"I agree." Emma said, smiling softly at Regina. "We should give her a proper burial, gravestone and all."

"And how, exactly, do you propose we do that without getting arrested for murder?" Robin asked.

"We get her back to Storybrooke." Regina said.

"And risk Gold getting ahold of the two of you?"

Emma's eyes lit with an idea, "I can call my dad, I'm sure he'd come and get her."

"Okay, we'll clean her up first," Regina agreed, "Then call David."

The task was horrendous. The blood had spread all across the floor and all three were thankful that it was a floor of wood and not carpet. After wiping up what they could, they used an entire bottle of bleach scrubbing the stain out. They wrapped Zelena in a blanket from Robin's bed, securing it around her body with rope. By the time they were finished, Robin had vomited three times.

David was shocked to say the least when Emma explained the situation to him, but he agreed to help, nonetheless, promising to leave right away. He offered her the chance to speak with Henry but she declined, not wanting to have a conversation with her son so soon after murdering somebody and she told him she'd call later after checking that he was alright and still safe from Gold.

When she hung up the phone, she looked up to see Robin holding Regina's hand tightly in his own. She grimaced.


	11. Chapter 11

When Robin took Regina's hand in his, Regina had to suppress a grimace. She knew that he wanted to comfort her but it wasn't his comfort that she wanted. It was Emma's. The thought confused her. Robin was her soul mate, the man she had mourned over for weeks, the man she'd dreamed about being reunited with. Yet here she was, shivering at his touch and not in a pleasant way. She looked to Emma and saw her looking at her hand in Robin's. She unfurled her fingers and walked over to her as Emma nervously looked down at her feet. Gently, she took Emma's phone from her hand and entwined her fingers with Emma's, squeezing reassuringly. Adrenaline is a funny thing and she knew they'd all have trouble coming down from the high.

It took her a moment to realise that the two of them were still damp, Emma in only her tank top and panties and herself in just her underwear. She wrapped her other arm around herself protectively and turned to Robin, who also seemed to be noticing the state of their undress for the first time.

"Marian's-" He choked on the word, "Marian's clothes are in the third drawer of the chest in our bedroom." He gestured to the door behind them.

Regina nodded and led Emma by the hand into the room, shutting the door behind them, before sitting on the bed and pulling Emma down beside her.

"Gold would be pleased." Emma murmured.

"What?"

"I've just taken a step towards what he wants. I'm a murderer."

"You killed in defence, that doesn't make you a murderer."

"Then why do I still feel so awful about it?"

"Because you're a good person." Regina said, squeezing her hand a little tighter. "You've spent your whole life trying to do the right thing, but you were in an impossible situation, you didn't have another choice."

"I don't feel like a good person."

"If you hadn't shot her, I would be dead. Most likely, you and Robin would also be dead. Henry and Roland would both be orphans. What you're feeling now… It will go away. I promise you. You know, deep down, that you did the right thing."

Emma smiled at her. "I know."

"Now, lets get dressed because I'm starting to get cold."

Marian's clothes didn't fit right on either of them. The long, flowing skirts looked ridiculous on a woman who mostly lived in jeans and a woman who mostly lived in designer dresses. Regina chose a high-neck top to hide what she could of the bruising around her throat but it could still be seen poking out the top.

"You didn't see any scarves in there, did you?" She asked Emma.

"Nope. While we're waiting for David, why don't we go shopping?"

"And leave Robin alone with the body?"

"I just can't be still right now. I can't sit around and wait for hours while looking at her rolled up like that, I just can't." Emma said quickly, her outburst bringing tears to her eyes. "Maybe you both can stay here and I'll go on my own."

"No! No, I'll come with you. Robin will be fine. But, you do remember that it's-" She checked the clock on the bedside table, "two in the morning, don't you? There won't be any shops open, but we can go out anyway, get some fresh air."

Emma just nodded, not trusting herself to speak again without losing control of her emotions.

Robin didn't seem to mind being left alone. He went to sit with Roland while Emma and Regina let themselves out. The night air was crisp with cold and neither had a coat on, but it was such a relief to be out of the apartment that neither minded.

Emma stepped forward and took a seat on the curb, "Join me?"

"You want me to sit on the floor?"

"You're wearing Marian's clothes, anyway."

Regina chuckled and sat beside Emma. "This is crazy."

"Tell me about it."

"Poor Robin." Regina sighed.

"Poor Marian. You think Zelena was telling the truth when she said she was dead?"

"Oh, definitely." Regina said. "I guess we'll never know the details, though."

The sound of car tyres caught their attention and they both glanced up just in time to see the yellow cab race past them. Neither had noticed the puddle in the road until the car created a wave of it which drenched them both through.

"Really?" Emma muttered. When she heard laughter, she looked up at Regina, confused.

The brunette was giggling like a child, shaking her head with disbelief.

"What did you find funny about that?" She asked the older woman.

"Just when we thought this day couldn't get any worse, that happens." Regina said between fits of giggles. It was a sound that Emma didn't think she'd ever heard her make. If it didn't sound so manic, she might have liked it, but Regina sounded like a crazy woman. Given the ridiculousness of the entire day though, Emma was surprised when a similar giggle came from her own mouth, she tried to swallow it but it was hopeless. Within seconds they were both holding their stomachs, laughing to the point of pain.

When she was finally able to draw a breath, Emma said, "I need a drink, do you want a drink?"

"Usually I'd refuse a drink at this time, but given the circumstances…" Regina laughed again. "I don't have any money, though."

"I've got a fifty in my pocket."

"Well, then," Regina smiled as she stood up and held out a hand to Emma, "Without further ado…"

It didn't take them long to find a club. They just followed the rowdy noises until they found themselves outside a busy place called 'The Dancing Moose'. The bouncer gave them both a funny look, eyeing their outfits with suspicion, Emma figured there might be a dress code, but he let them pass anyway.

"This place looks…" Regina paused, " Interesting."

"Come on, this is exactly what we need. Distraction." Emma took her hand and led her through the crowd of dancers, "Shots?"

"Depends what we're drinking."

"How does tequila sound?"

At Regina's grin, Emma slapped her fifty on the table, "Four tequila shots, please."

"Four?!" Regina gaped.

"Trust me, getting drunk can only improve this day." Emma smiled. The waitress laid out the glasses, complete with four lemon wedges and a salt shaker for them to use. "Here" Emma said as she placed a glass in Regina's hand and sprinkled some salt on her other arm before doing the same herself. "Ready?"

Regina nodded.

"Bottoms up!" Emma shouted over the music.

Regina's face scrunched as she swallowed the drink, she reached quickly for a lemon wedge and breathed a huge sigh of relief as the tangy citrus flavour chased away the tequila. When she looked up at Emma's amused expression, she said, "What are you looking at?"

"Been a while?"

"I'm just not as accustomed to drinking my nights away as you seem to be."

"Ready for the second?"

Regina nodded and they downed those too. Before Regina had even finished sucking her lemon wedge, Emma had put twenty down on the bar, "Two cranberry vodkas."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

Regina just gaped at her, "How do you know I even like cranberry vodka?"

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Well, then!"

"Here you go." The bartender said as she placed the drinks in front of them.

Emma handed her one of the drinks and then had a look around the club. On the other side of the bar she caught a man staring intently at Regina. "Looks like you've already got an admirer."

"What?" Regina said, before following Emma's line of sight and noticing the stare of a heavy, bearded-man across from them. When he caught her eye, he smiled and she quickly turned back to Emma. "He saw me looking!"

Emma laughed as she watched the man stand from his seat and start making his way through the crowd. "He's coming over here!" She shouted. "Quick!" She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her away towards the dance floor, "Blend in." She said as she started swaying her hips to the music. Still holding Regina's hand, she started to dance with her as she sipped her drink.

Regina joined in enthusiastically, moving closer to Emma. When she raised her hand too quickly and spilt cranberry juice all down Marian's white top, Emma burst out laughing, "Let's just down these, too!" Regina laughed as she brought the glass to her lips. Emma had to wonder if the tequila shots had already gone to Regina's head, but then maybe it was just the whole atmosphere that was bringing out a funner side to the mayor. She smiled and did as she was told, swallowing the entire drink in a matter of seconds.

She was still smiling when a huge oaf of a man moved in front of her, blocking her view of Regina, "Mind if I cut in?" he asked. It was the man from the bar, Emma realised.

As he started to dance in front of Regina, Regina tried to move around him, "No, thank you. I'm here with-"

"Hey, just one dance!" He insisted as she stepped around him. He continued to move closer, grinding against her.

Having noticed this, another man who'd been dancing near them decided to try his luck with Emma. "You know, if your friend's busy you could dance with me?" He suggested.

"Look guys, we came together. We don't want to dance with either of you." Emma said firmly as she shoved the guy away from her.

When he moved closer again and said, "What you two are together? _Together,_ together?"

Regina opened her mouth to correct him but stopped when she noticed the mischievous glint in Emma's eyes as the blonde winked at her, "Go with it," she mouthed silently.

Before Regina had a chance to figure out what she meant, Emma had leaned in, wound a hand in her hair and brought her forward into a passionate kiss. Regina didn't even think, she just moved her lips in sync with the blonde. When Emma's tongue probed, she opened her mouth to allow her entrance without a second thought. Their tongues danced within her mouth and Emma tasted of strawberry and vanilla, Regina sighed into the kiss and brought her free hand to Emma's side and held her close, before lightly tracing it up her back. Behind them, she vaguely heard the men grumbling as they left and then Emma was pulling away, leaving her off-balance as she teetered forward.

Both of them were out-of-breath.

Emma sighed in relief, "They're gone."

Regina blinked a few times, the kiss had caused all of her thoughts to race from her mind and as she stared blankly at Emma, all she could think was that that may have been the best kiss she'd ever had. She cleared her throat and looked around awkwardly, before finally decided to scowl at the blonde and say, "What were you thinking?"

"Hey." Emma raised her hands in surrender, "It worked, didn't it?"

Regina reluctantly nodded. "Just, don't do that again." She grumbled, she didn't like how uncomfortable the kiss had made her. It shouldn't have done, it didn't mean anything. Emma was just doing what she had to to get rid of their unwanted admirers. Yet, the feeling of Emma's lips on her own had left her with a warm, tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach which unnerved her. Desperate to leave the feeling behind, she tried to ignore it.

It didn't help when Emma placed a hand on her arm. "I won't, okay? Sorry."

"Fine."

"Fine." Emma repeated. "Now, come on, this place closes in an hour and I want to dance."

Regina forced herself to smile and when Emma took her hands in her own again, she let herself give in to the music. The thoughts of the past 24 hours raced away with the beat as the alcohol filled their bloodstreams.


	12. Chapter 12

The club closed at four am. By that time, after four more shots and four more glasses of alcohol each, Regina and Emma were both absolutely plastered. The flowing skirts of Marian's that they'd been wearing had begun to feel more and more restrictive as they'd become clumsier and they'd decided it would be a good idea to retreat to the girl's toilets and rip the bottom halves off. When they eventually stumbled out of the club, sweat dripping from their faces and clothes tattered, they wanted to do anything but go back to the apartment. To Regina's surprise, the streets were still buzzing with activity and she didn't want to leave. So when a bunch of rowdy twenty-somethings addressed the crowd and shouted out an invite to a party back at theirs, they shared a look which said "Why not?" and followed the masses down the street to the stranger's penthouse apartment.

It turned out that the guy had just divorced his 'bitch of a wife' and was celebrating. His penthouse was large enough to comfortably fit the fifty or so strangers from the street and stocked to the brim with beer, wine and spirits.

"Shots for the lovely ladies?" The guy said, holding up a bottle of sambuca.

"Hit us up!" Emma jeered before Regina could answer, not that she expected the brunette to decline anyway, she was having too much fun.

He filled up two shot glasses and held one out to Emma, "One for…?"

"Emma." She said.

"Emma! And one for…?"

"Gina."

"Gina?" Emma repeated.

"One for Gina!" He passed them both their drinks and then poured one for himself, "One for Adam."

"Nice to meet you." Emma smiled as they downed their drinks. Emma realised this was the fifth type of alcohol they'd had, the hangover was sure to be a kick in the teeth in the morning.

"So what brings you two out tonight?"

Before either had a chance to think about the real answer to that question, Emma gestured to Regina and said, "I thought this one would enjoy a night out at a club for the first time."

"First time?" He asked in surprise. "What kept you so long? You look like a party animal to me."

Emma almost choked at the statement.

"This isn't usually my thing." Regina said.

"Well then, we gotta make sure you get all the experiences in, don't we?" He grinned and looked over to where some of his friends were setting up a keg stand. "Lads, we got our first taker over here!"

"Oh, no- no I don't think she'd-" Emma began to stammer while Regina just stared at the stand blankly, clearly never having seen one before.

Emma didn't have a chance to finish her sentence though, before two huge guys had grabbed ahold of Regina, dragged her over to the stand, ignoring her protests to stop and lifted her into the air, spinning her upside down. Emma's hand went over her mouth in shock at the sight.

"What are you doing? Put me down, this instant!" Regina shrieked.

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" The crowd shouted and when a third guy held the beer tap to her mouth, Regina finally realised what she was meant to do.

Emma couldn't believe it when she started guzzling the drink, the crowd cheered her on and she just kept going and going and going. When Emma was sure a whole minute must have been up she finally spluttered and moved her face away from the beer tap, eliciting a huge applause from everybody.

"Your friend can sure take her beer!" Adam said, clapping Emma on the back, "You guys are welcome back any time."

"Thanks." Emma muttered, still staring at Regina as the guys lowered her to the ground. She had beer in her hair and all down Marian's white top, adding to the pink, cranberry stain already there.

"Good job, Madame Mayor." Emma praised her. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"There are lots of things you don't know about me, Miss Swan."

"Oh, yeah?" Emma smirked. "Like what? Tell me something I don't know about you."

"How about the fact that I was a champion horse rider?" Regina said, smugly.

"Well, I figured you had to have been pretty good to have saved Mary-Margaret the way you did."

"I was a lot better than pretty good." Regina boasted. "I was one of the best."

"If you enjoyed it so much, why don't you ride in Storybrooke?"

"I don't know." Regina admitted. "Honestly, I just put it to the back of my mind. I didn't have much chance to ride after I married the king."

Emma noticed Regina's grimace and said, "Well, when we get back, and all of this stuff with Gold has blown over, lets go. We can bring Henry, I'm sure he'd love to see you ride."

"You think?"

"I know he would." Emma smiled. "He'd be proud."

Regina smiled widely at that. "Also, it might be funny to see you try to ride."

"You underestimate me." Emma smirked. "Wasn't it you who told me I'd have been a great knight? Riding's in my blood!"

"That may well be, but without any practice, I imagine you'll be hopeless." Regina laughed. "I'll have to teach you."

Emma's eyes lit up. "I think I'd be okay with that."

"How about you?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me something I don't know about you." Regina elaborated.

"Hmm…" Emma thought for a moment. "I'm kind of an open book." She smiled and then added, "And anything I haven't told you, I'm sure Sidney found out when he was busy working as your spy."

"Yes, well, sorry about that." Regina muttered.

"Oh, I've got something!" Emma said, excitedly. "I bet you didn't know that I can do the splits."

"What?"

"Yup. Taught myself" Emma grinned, proudly.

Regina scoffed, "I don't believe you."

"Oh, yeah? Hold my shot glass" Emma said, handing it to her before leaning to the side and stretching her legs. "Watch." With that, she lowered herself to the floor, easily falling into the splits.

"What a useful skill." Regina said sarcastically as she laughed.

"I'll have you know, Neal was very appreciative."

Regina gaped, "I bet he was," she chuckled. When she asked a moment later, "Do you think you could teach me?" Emma lost herself in a fit of laughter.

"Looking to impress somebody in particular?" She asked.

"No!" Regina argued. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to make things a little more interesting in the bedroom."

Emma couldn't quite believe that she was having this conversation with the Mayor, a woman who'd had a stick up her ass for the past four years, and it made her feel ridiculously happy. As though she were getting to see something that nobody else was privy too. She felt lucky.

The sun had come up and most people were passed out on the floor when they finally decided to head back to Robin's apartment. They had continued to drink and Emma wondered how neither of them had been sick, especially Regina who, by her own admission, really didn't drink all that much. They were both certainly drunker than they'd ever been, leaning on each other for support as they waddled down the street.

When they reached the apartment, Emma put a hand on Regina's arm to stop her before she could buzz the door.

"What was up with saying your name was Gina?" She asked.

"That's what some of my friends used to call me."

"I've never heard it before."

"You've never met anyone who I was close with. I wasn't exactly 'tight' with any of Storybrooke's residents, after all they're all people who I was busy punishing." Regina explained.

"I like it. Gina suits you."

"It doesn't exactly sound as-" She paused, thinking, "regal, as Regina."

"That's why I like it. It sound more like you, like the real you."

"The real me? As opposed to the fake me?"

"As opposed to the scary-ass persona you'd have everyone else believe you were. I think this is the first time I've had the chance to hang out with the real you. They say a little drink brings out the person behind the mask by removing our inhibitions. I was beginning to think that your mask would never fully come off."

Regina surprised her with the insecurity laced into her next question, "And what do you think of her? Of the real me?"

"I like her." Emma stated without hesitation.

Regina's eyebrows rose on her face, her nose crinkled a little in confusion.

"I _really_ like her." Emma said again, as she took a step forward.

Regina didn't back away. Emma was standing close, close enough that they were breathing the same air. She glanced at the blonde's lips and then back up to her green eyes again, blinked a few times.

Emma leaned closer, the ends of her hair brushing across Regina's collarbone. She looked into Regina's chocolate-brown orbs, eyes that looked as though they'd seen the world and more in their time. Eyes so deep she wanted to be lost in them. She glanced between them and gently touched Regina's fingers with her own, a feather-like touch which sent sparks flying up her arms.

Then they were both leaning closer, lips coming together.

"Moms?!" A voice called out.

Regina jumped back from Emma like she was poison and the two of them whipped around in the direction of the voice to see their son standing across the road from them, next to David's car, his eyes wide, mouth open.

"Henry!" They gasped in unison.


	13. Chapter 13

For a long moment, nobody said anything. Henry glanced helplessly between his two, clearly intoxicated, mothers. Both with skirts ripped above the knee and drink stains down their tops and what, exactly, were they doing leaning so closely into each other? Henry swallowed loudly and crossed the street to get a better look at them.

"Um, care to explain?" He said, looking to Emma first and then Regina, trying to work out what the hell was going on.

"Henry." Regina repeated again. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, desperately searching her brain for something to say. When she came up blank she looked to Emma for help.

"Henry." Emma said yet again.

"Yes, my name is Henry. We all know that. Now, what the hell have you two been doing? When David said you were having a crisis, I didn't know he meant mid-life crisis."

"Henry Daniel Mills, I am not having a mid-life crisis!" Regina tried to say firmly, but her words were still slurred, defeating her attempt and Henry simply rolled his eyes at her.

"Kid, we were just blowing off some steam. A lot's happened." Emma explained.

"So you got drunk?"

"We did not get drunk." Regina stated but Emma shook her head at her, knowing they had no chance at fooling Henry given the state of the two of them.

"And what exactly has been happening? Because everyone's been incredibly vague about everything. I'm not a kid anymore, I want to help. David didn't even want me to come."

"He was right." Emma said, "You shouldn't be here, Henry. How did you convince him to bring you along?"

Henry shuffled his feet, sheepishly. "I didn't. I just hid in the backseat until we were a few hours into the drive."

Emma slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned. "You're still pulling crap like that?"

"When are you going to start listening and doing as you're told, young man? I remember a time when you respected your elders. What's gotten into you?" Regina nagged him.

"What's gotten into me is frustration! Frustration at never being included in anything. Maybe if people stopped lying to me, I wouldn't need to keep sneaking around."

"Sometimes people have a good reason for lying, kid. Sometimes lies can protect people. You really shouldn't be here. There are things you shouldn't have to deal with." Emma said. "Not at your age."

"And apparently things you think I shouldn't see." Henry said. "What did David come to get? He wouldn't let me go up to the apartment with him because he didn't want me to see it. But I'll find out. So you might as well tell me, already."

Emma sighed. Henry was right. There was no way he would get through a seven hour drive back to Maine with a dead body in the boot of the car and not find out. He would know eventually when they buried her anyway. "Let's not have this conversation in the street" She said as she pressed the buzzer for the apartment.

A moment later, David's voice came from the call box "Emma?"

"It's us, let us up."

David opened the door when they got upstairs and opened his mouth to argue when he saw that they'd brought Henry with them but Emma held up a hand, "He'll find out at some point, might as well be now."

With that issue out of the way, David's eyes rolled over Emma and Regina in disapproval, "Have you two been drinking?"

"Not now, please. Just let us cope in whatever way we want to." Emma grumbled, too exhausted to deal with nagging.

David reached for her and pulled her into a tight hug, "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah, me too." Emma said against his chest. "Come on, kid." She said to Henry when she spotted him staring at the blanket-covered body in the corner of the room. "I'll do some explaining." She led him into Robin's bedroom and shut the door behind her.

"Regina, I heard what happened. You're okay?" David asked, eyeing the bruising that was just about showing above the high-necked top she was wearing.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine." Regina said.

When the chain flushed and Robin came out of the bathroom, Regina looked up nervously, suddenly feeling very embarrassed about the state she was in.

"Regina?" He said as he emerged, face crinkled with concern. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

Regina's nervousness dissipated almost immediately and she had to fight back a chuckle, of course Robin would assume that. It would be more believable than the truth, that she'd gone galavanting around town with the daughter of her old mortal enemy on some crazy, wild night out. "No Robin, no one hurt me."

"Well then, what on earth have you been doing?"

"It seems they needed to blow off some steam." David chimed in, an eyebrow raised.

"You did this to yourself? Are you drunk?"

"It would appear that way, wouldn't it?" Regina answered in a drawl.

"And you did that to Marian's clothes? Ripped her skirt in half? Spilt things all over her top?"

"Well, it's not as though she'll be needing them anymore." Regina said before she could stop herself. The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them and bit down hard on her tongue. "Robin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"How dare you?" Robin yelled, storming towards her. "I've just found out, for the second time, that my wife is dead and you do this?"

"I-" Regina tried to interrupt, tried to say she regretted it.

"Did it mean anything to you, Regina? Did you feel anything when Zelena told us what she'd done? Or is death so entwined in normality for you that you can't understand my grief?"

"Normality? I'm not the Evil Queen anymore, Robin." Regina snapped back at him, anger rising up within her.

"Maybe not. But you're not acting like the Regina I knew, either." With that, Robin turned to David, "Let's get her in the car."

David, knowing better than to add anything to the argument and eager to remove himself from the tension, followed and helped Robin with the task. Regina said nothing more as she opened the door for them to leave.

"Regina? Are you okay?" Emma said as she returned with a pale-looking Henry.

"No." Regina answered, simply. "I'm an idiot. We've been acting like fools, Emma."

"Can you blame us? Everything that's happened… it's messing with my head!" Emma cried at her. "I feel like I'm going insane."

"It doesn't matter what we feel. We were just running away from our problems. Distracting ourselves while Robin sat here alone, dealing with everything by himself."

"I don't know how else to deal!"

"Well, it's about time you grew up then. You might be used to abandoning the responsibilities of your problems like this, but I'm not. We should have stayed here, talked through things, worked out the right thing to do." Regina rambled.

"Please don't fight." Henry interrupted suddenly, drawing the attention of both of his mothers. "Everyone deals with things differently. You know that, mom." He said to Regina. "You're just flustered because Robin shouted at you."

"I'm flustered because he just found out that his wife is still dead, the wife that I killed the first time, by the way, and we've been acting like teenagers, drinking away our sorrows!" Regina snapped at him before she could stop herself.

"I killed Zelena, Regina. I shot her. I've never killed anybody before, ever. What happened is going to be tormenting me for the rest of my life, regardless of whether it was the right thing to do or not. So sorry if I couldn't face it at first, sorry if I was so desperate to think of anything else that I acted recklessly."

Regina immediately felt guilt wash over her. "Okay. I know, I know." She said, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths to calm down. "Can we just change out of these clothes, please, before Robin comes back so he doesn't have to see what we did to them again?"

"Sure." Emma mumbled and the two of them left Henry standing in the hallway to do just that.

They put the ruined clothes into a plastic bag and left them in the corner before changing into new outfits from Marian's closet. Unfortunately, no other tops had high necks and the bruising on Regina's neck was entirely visible. When they came back, Henry couldn't stifle the gasp that rose through his throat at what he'd missed when he'd first seen her.

"Mom?" He said, softly, taking in the injury. Emma frowned, she had told Henry that Gold had threatened them but hadn't mentioned this. "Gold did that?" Henry whispered.

Regina just nodded at him solemnly. "It's okay, it's nothing that won't heal." She reassured him.

"I'll kill him." Henry stated in a low, dangerous voice.

"Henry-" Emma started. Neither women had seen Henry look so threatening, he had never reminded Emma more of Regina than in that moment.

"No, how could he hurt you like that?"

"He's desperate, Henry. Gold does what he needs to to get what he wants, no matter who he hurts." Emma explained. "But don't worry. We'll beat him."

Henry was shaking with rage, fists clenched.

"Hey, hey," Regina said, soothingly as she put a hand on his shoulder to still him, "good always wins, remember? Gold will get his comeuppance. Just not from you. We'll win together, the right way."


	14. Chapter 14

David and Henry didn't stay long, they might have at least sat down for a drink before leaving if the tension in the apartment hadn't been so unbearable. Instead, Robin offered them some snacks and water for the road and, after securing Zelena's body in the boot of the car, they were off, driving their way back to Storybrooke for a burial.

After ten minutes of awkward silence as the three of them sat at the table, Emma's eyelids were becoming unbearably heavy and a quick glance at the other two showed they were feeling the same way.

"Maybe we all just need to sleep this off, talk rationally in the morning?" Emma suggested.

"Good idea." Regina agreed quietly, getting to her feet. "So where do we sleep?"

Butterflies immediately made themselves known in Emma's stomach as she thought about the limited options. A double bed in Robin's room and a couch in the living room. She knew what Robin would suggest and there would be no way out of it. At least not without giving away her butterflies. It was the most logical option.

"I'll take the couch." Robin said. "You two can share the bed." He didn't glance at either of them as he went to his room, grabbed some slacks and a top and returned to sit himself down on the couch. That was their queue to leave.

Emma pinched the skin on her hand nervously, glancing at Regina to try and get a glimpse of what the other woman was feeling, but Regina kept her eyes downcast as she followed the blonde through to the bedroom. They changed into more comfortable clothes in silence and Emma kept her back to Regina, not trusting her eyes not to wander. When she heard Regina climbing into bed, she joined her.

Regina curled up, knees to her chest, facing away from Emma whose heart sank just a little at the gesture. Now in bed, with no other distractions, her mind was relentless in its replaying of the night's events behind her closed lids. The feel of Regina's lips on her own, Regina's hand on her waist… It was torture to think about it now, as the brunette continued with her silent treatment. She only hoped that come morning, they would settle this. Perhaps Regina was right in blaming her for tonight, but she wasn't going to apologise for acting irrationally moments after an event so traumatising, and she was more than sure that when Regina was thinking clearly she would no longer blame her, anyway. The brunette was just doing what she always did instinctively, lashing out when she was upset, the drink certainly hadn't helped and anyway, she had admitted to understanding Emma's side at least. That was something.

Anyway, despite all of the drama it had caused, Emma wouldn't trade their time together for anything. Drunken or not, the kiss that was still fresh in her mind had left her feeling entirely too good in a weird and wonderful way. She could no longer deny the fact that Regina ignited fierce feelings in her, feelings that men like Hook had tried so hard and failed, time and time again, to bring out in her. She almost wanted to let herself feel a little bit of hope but she couldn't shake the feeling that Regina would be disgusted with herself when she remembered their night the next morning.

"Emma?" The soft murmur was so quiet, she might have missed it over the rustling of bed covers.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry for snapping at you. You didn't deserve that, not after what happened."

"It's okay." She said, simply, thankful. When she closed her eyes again, she was calmer.

* * *

When Emma opened her eyes to afternoon light and took in the unfamiliar surroundings, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. Robin Hood's apartment. She blinked a few times as the night's events came painfully flooding back to her.

It was only after the brief bout of confusion that she finally became aware of the warm hand resting on her breast and the body curled tightly around her own. Regina had moved closer during the night, her head resting comfortably in the crook of Emma's neck, a soft smile on the brunette's face as she slept, dream-ridden. The blush rose immediately, Emma felt it in the warmth of her face. As slowly as she was able, she gently took Regina's hand in her own, lifting it from her chest and laying it down at her side. It was too risky to move away from the older woman, surely that would wake her up, so she remained still, even sinking into Regina a little, enjoying the feeling of her body so close to her own, and allowed her eyelids to droop again.

* * *

 _"_ _Hmm, Madame Mayor." The blonde whispered as she leant over the brunette, breath tickling her forehead. Emma raised a hand and gently brushed the wisps of hair from Regina's face which was damp with sweat. "You feel so good clenched around my fingers."_

 _"_ _More." Regina whispered, as she bucked her hips into Emma's hand, forcing her fingers to go deeper as her thumb rubbed fast circles on her clit, shooting sparks of pleasure throughout her entire body._

 _"_ _Greedy, are we?" Emma teased, slipping in a third finger to join the others as Regina became impossibly wetter with need._

 _"_ _Yes…" She moaned as the blonde began to thrust deeper still._

 _Emma raised her other hand to Regina's breast, pinching her nipple harshly and eliciting a gasp from the older woman. "Well, we'll just have to do something about that then, won't we?"_

 _Regina's words caught in her throat as Emma lowered her face to her breast, taking it into her mouth and gently biting down on the skin. "I'm so close." She finally gasped out._

 _"_ _Let go, Gina." Emma hummed against her breast. "Let go. You're safe with me."_

 _Emma was hitting that spot inside her with every thrust of her hand, pushing deeper and harder each time. When she made the bold choice to add a fourth finger, stretching her painfully wider, it all became too much and Regina couldn't hold back any longer. She felt her walls clench tightly around Emma's hand as it hit her like a crashing wave which sent her tumbling into new realms of pleasure. Emma continued to thrust, helping her to ride out the feeling and she found herself gasping for breath with her name on her lips._

It was her own voice that woke her, mumbling that very same name. Regina quickly sat up, heart racing, breath coming in quick gasps.

"Yeah?"

Emma's voice startled her and she turned sharply to look at the blonde who was lying all too close to her. "Have you ever heard of personal space, Swan?" She snapped quickly.

"I should be asking you, Madame Mayor. I woke up as the little spoon." Emma said with a smug grin on her face.

Regina frowned and blinked, trying desperately to get her thoughts in order. "Well, I was sleeping. I must have just forgotten where I was."

"And that's why you woke up saying my name?" Emma teased, enjoying her discomfort.

"It's not my fault that you roam my nightmares." Regina threw back. She hoped that Emma's internal lie detector would be thrown off by the hangover and worked hard to keep her expression steady while she discarded the remnant thoughts of the dream that had left her gasping. A dream was a dream, nothing more, and she was sure the alcohol was to blame for this particularly strange one.

Emma just smiled, she'd seen the look on Regina's face while she'd been sleeping. No one smiled during their nightmares. She decided to let it slide, though. Even if Regina was lying she would never admit it.

Regina glared back at her as she extricated herself from the bedcovers, holding tightly onto her forehead as the pounding rhythm of a hangover headache began to drum. The smell of bacon and eggs was wafting throughout the room, suggesting that Robin was busy making breakfast. She grimaced as she remembered their last conversation. Hopefully, they could sort things out this morning, she didn't like the idea of being cramped in a tiny apartment with a man who was angry with her, and for good reason, she remembered. He'd lost his wife and instead of support, he'd gotten drunkards ruining her clothing. A part of Regina felt less guilty, however. The night out had been what Emma needed. They just should have thought about what they were doing a little more before ripping their skirts in half. She still couldn't quite believe that they'd done it, herself. Emma had somehow managed to bring out a side to her that she'd long forgotten.

Emma climbed out of bed and followed her out of the room to find Robin at the stove. He'd set plates and cutlery on the table, a pile of toast, carton of milk and a box of muesli in the centre.

"Just in time to join me for breakfast." Robin said as they took a seat at the table.

"Robin, we're so-" Emma started to say but Robin cut her off.

"Not another word." Robin said. "I thought about it a lot last night. We were all stressed, we all dealt with it differently. There's not much more to say." Emma smiled in relief and saw Regina do the same. "There's juice in the fridge." Robin added.

Emma moved to get it, "Ooh, strawberries," she said as opened the door, "Mind if I cut some up to go with the muesli?"

"Help yourself."

Strawberries and vanilla, Regina thought and then the memory assaulted her. Emma's natural taste had engulfed her, overridden her senses as their tongues had mingled in her mouth. The rush of feeling that came with the memory caused her to shuffle on her seat. How could she forget? It explained the insane dream she'd had. She had kissed the Saviour. She had kissed her son's other mother. A woman she had once planned to poison. Gods, did Emma remember? She looked to the blonde as she sat down at the table, poured orange juice in their glasses and starting chopping strawberries, looking almost content. Content? Regina's brow creased. Either she was dealing with Zelena's death a lot better today, or she was still distracting herself somehow. She racked her memories to try and figure out how drunk Emma had been, was she as drunk as her? Drunker? More sober? She couldn't possibly ask her about it, that was a conversation she'd sooner die than have.

"Strawberries?" Emma asked, ripping her from her thoughts.

"Yes, please."

Robin piled the bacon and eggs onto a plate and set it on the table before joining them. "I suppose it's about time we started thinking about what to do with the Gold situation." He said, then looked to Emma. "He wanted to turn you dark. Why?"

Emma suddenly realised that she didn't even know. So much had happened since they'd arrived only the day before that they hadn't had a chance to discuss it, she hadn't even had a chance to think about it. Whilst Robin had drove them to the apartment the first time, his mind was so focused on Regina and her injuries and even their relationship that they had never gotten to the point of all this in the first place. Emma stared back at him blankly and then looked to Regina.

"He didn't explain properly but I have to assume that it helps him with his larger plan." She said.

"You mean with the happy endings?" Robin asked, that much Regina had explained in the car.

"Yes, to get the author to rewrite his happy ending, along with those of the other villains."

"How would turning me dark help with that?" Emma asked, stumped.

"Well, we know that you're the Saviour." Regina said. "And what was your job as the Saviour?"

"To break the curse and bring back the happy endings." Emma said, realisation dawning on her.

"Right and Gold wants to take our happy endings away, to give them to the villains instead. Somehow, you must be hindering his ability to do that." Regina explained.

"But now that you know his plan, how could he possibly succeed? Turning dark is ultimately a choice, isn't it?" Robin asked. "Now, he won't be able to trick you into making it."

"Don't be so sure." Regina said. "Gold is clever, we mustn't underestimate it. Not to mention he's quite adept at memory potions. What's to stop him from forcing us all to drink them and then continuing with his plan? It would be all too easy for him to spike our food and drink without our knowing if he decides that it's his only option."

"Why don't we ask Mary-Margaret or David to speak with Belle? Surely she could convince him to stop with this path of evil." Robin suggested.

"You didn't see him in the vault, Robin. He looked insane. Like he had nothing left to lose." Emma said, wincing as she remembered.

"Perhaps, but maybe my original plan to take her heart and hold her hostage might still have some merit." Regina said. "I don't think he would listen to her, not unless there was a chance she might take him back, which, after she finds out what he's planning, will be even more unlikely than it already was. He still loves her, though. I think he'd still do anything to save her life."

"You wouldn't actually kill her?" Robin said in a questioning tone.

"If it came to that."

"Regina!" Both Robin and Emma cried at the same time.

"What?! Think about what's at stake here. The whole town is at risk!" Regina argued.

"No, no-one else is going to die." Emma said, firmly, and Regina felt her heart plummet.

"Emma, I'm sorry. This is our only option, though. If I wasn't willing to actually kill her, Gold would know and it wouldn't work."

"And, what? We hold her hostage, indefinitely? Eventually we'll have to come up with an actual way to stop him. Why don't we just figure out that part so that Belle doesn't have to get caught up in all this." Emma complained.

"We will figure out that part, but when we first arrive in Storybrooke we'll need time to implement whatever plan we come up with. During that time we use Belle to keep him at bay." Regina explained.

"So, we need to remove the other requirements of his plan." Robin said. "Whatever else he needs to succeed… The author, the book, the ink?"

Regina gasped, startling both of them, "That's it!"

"What?"

"He needs the ink. You turning dark will get him the ink."

"How, exactly?" Emma asked.

"The blood of a Saviour turned dark. That's what he needs to get the ink to work, to give it the ability to rewrite our endings."

"You can't be sure?" Robin asked.

"Oh, I am. It all makes sense. I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner." Regina said.

"Right, so he wants to turn Emma dark so he can obtain the ink." Robin repeated, trying to get his head around all of this. "So we should go after the author. Then it won't matter if he has the ink or not."

"Okay, we know that the author is behind the door in the page. But we don't know how to get him out." Emma said.

"Gold will be looking for the page," Regina stated, "but he won't find it, Henry will make sure of that. Even if he does, he has no way to get the author out."

"So we have the advantage?" Robin asked.

"For now." Regina muttered. "Once we figure out how to release the author, we need to ensure he stays on our side."

"Unless we simply don't release him?" Robin suggested.

Regina glared at him, "And give up my happy ending? I don't think so."

"Perhaps there's another way to obtain a happy ending." He said, his eyes lingering on hers, a smile on his lips which gave Emma an uncomfortable feeling.

Regina held his gaze for a moment but then sighed, "Unfortunately, I don't think so."


	15. Chapter 15

"Gina!" Roland cried in a squeaky voice as he came waddling out of his bedroom, still in his pyjamas.

Regina pushed back her empty plate and stood up to catch the little boy in her arms as he jumped at her, "Sir Roland! Why didn't you join us for breakfast?"

"You're silly! It's way past breakfast time. Papa already gave me toast and sandwiches."

"How about that? Looks like Miss Swan and I lost track of time."

Roland giggled. "You're naughty! The morning is the most important part of the day, right papa?"

"Right you are, Roland." Robin grinned.

"Papa said that Henry was here, why didn't he stay to see me?"

"Henry got here very early this morning," Emma explained, "He was really busy and didn't have time to stay until you woke up."

"I miss him." Roland sighed. "I miss mama, too. When is she coming back, papa?"

Emma grimaced, the sooner they got ahold of a forgetting potion for the kid, the better.

Robin's voice caught in his throat and Regina interrupted before he emitted a sob rather than an answer. "You'll see her soon, sweetheart. Did your father tell you that we're going to go back to Storybrooke? She's going to meet us there."

Roland's eyes immediately lit up and he grinned like it was the greatest news he'd ever heard. "We're coming back?!"

At Regina's smile, Roland tightened his arms around her neck and squeezed hard.

"I can see you every day!" He said to her and Regina found herself looking almost as happy as he did. She had always been fond of the boy and hearing how much he'd missed her warmed her heart.

"Now, young man. Didn't I ask you to get dressed?" Robin asked, sternly.

"Fine!" Roland mumbled as Regina let him down. Robin followed him into his room.

* * *

A little while later, Robin was wandering about the house, looking for anything to clean in order to keep busy while Emma showered and Regina washed dishes. When Regina's phone rang, she rushed to it and was excited to see Henry's name flashing on the screen.

She answered.

"Mom?" Henry said, urgency in his voice that immediately put her on edge.

"Henry? Is everything okay?" She asked.

"It's fine, great even." He said, stumbling over his words excitedly.

Regina sighed with relief. "What is it?"

"I found the key." He squealed down the phone. "The key to the door!"

"What? Where? Have you used it yet?" She asked, heart in her throat.

"No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first. It was in the apprentice's house, in one of the drawers." He explained.

Regina sighed in relief, "Okay, that's good. Really good."

"Should I do it? Release him?"

"Not yet. We can't give Gold a chance to get his hands on the author and it's easier to hide a page than a person. Especially a person we know nothing about."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"I assume Gold's been searching for the page. I trust it's still well-hidden?" She asked.

"Somewhere he'll never find it. I haven't even mentioned it out loud to anybody."

"Good boy." She praised.

"You taught me well." He said, and Regina could practically hear him grinning down the phone.

"Indeed, I did." She smiled. "Have you seen Gold around at all? He hasn't caused anymore trouble?"

"No, no-one's seen him. I saw Cruella and Ursula at Granny's earlier, they were just getting coffee to go."

"And Maleficent?" Regina enquired.

"That was the other thing I wanted to tell you."

"Oh?"

"She was here, in my room this morning."

"What?" Regina yelled down the phone. "Did she hurt you? Threaten you? Are you alright?"

"Mom, I told you, everything's fine."

"Well then, what did she want?" She asked, confused.

"It was weird." Henry said. "She said she didn't have much time, so I assume she didn't want anyone to notice she was gone. She asked if you and Emma were okay."

"Really?" Regina frowned in confusion. Sure, there had been a time when her and Maleficent had been friends, at one point even more than that, but then she'd cursed her, forcing her to live as a dragon for twenty eight years and then dust for three more. If she had actually meant everything she'd said whilst going undercover, about joining the dark side once again, perhaps they might have had a chance to reconcile. The moment she'd been found out, though, and Maleficent knocked her out with a sleeping curse, any hope she'd had for their relationship had vanished with the light. She had betrayed her friend, yet again. Surely Maleficent couldn't still care for her? Not after all that she'd done.

"She sounded really worried," Henry explained, "and she was angry with Gold, really angry. When she mentioned him her eyes glowed a funny colour. I thought for a moment she might transform into a dragon."

"That's interesting, indeed." Regina said, thinking hard. Did this mean they had a potential ally? A person on the inside? "I trust you told her that we're fine, but didn't give away where we were?"

"Of course not." Henry scoffed. "I'm not an idiot. I just told her that you guys were fine and she was satisfied with that, she didn't ask any more about where you were or what you were doing."

"Promise me you'll cal me straight away if she approaches you again?"

"Will do."

"Is that Henry?" Emma asked as she came out of the bathroom with wet hair, draped only in a towel.

"Um," Regina stuttered, "Yes, you want to speak to him?" At Emma's nod, she said to Henry, "Emma's here, dear, I'll hand the phone over so you can talk."

"Okay, love you mom."

"Love you, too." She said before passing Emma the phone. She took it and asked Henry how he was as she sat down. Regina looked about the room, awkwardly trying to avoid Emma's barely-concealed body, and eventually decided to go into Robin's bedroom where she found him making the bed.

"Sorry, we should have done that." She said.

"It's no problem." He assured her.

She smiled and shifted about on her feet for a moment before saying, "Henry called. He found the key."

"That's great." Robin smiled. "Now we have a way to get to the author first, assuming the page is still hidden?"

"He hasn't even told me where it is."

"He's a clever boy."

Regina nodded in agreement before taking a seat on the freshly-made bed. After a moment's pause, Robin joined her.

"Do you think we could talk, sometime?" He asked.

"We're talking right now."

"You know what I mean." He said, eyes pleading with her. "I want to talk properly, alone. How about we go out for dinner, tonight?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Regina said, eyes avoiding his gaze, not wanting to see the hope in his eyes.

"I'm not asking for a date. I'm asking for a conversation. One I'm sure we'll both benefit from."

"You sound sure about that," Regina murmured, "but perhaps talking isn't want we need. Perhaps, we just need to move on."

Robin's face immediately dropped. "Well, if that's what you decide, I'll respect that. I would be tremendously appreciative, however, if we could at least discuss it first. I don't know about you, but my head is a mess of conflicting thoughts and I'll feel better once I've spoken them out loud."

Regina sighed. Her head was indeed a mess of conflicting thoughts, most of them unwelcome. What Robin didn't know was that the blonde woman sitting in the other room was the root cause of them, not him. In fact, Emma had left her feeling so confused after their night out that the space in her mind previously occupied by Robin had shrunk considerably. Regardless of her feelings, however, the pain in Robin's eyes had struck a chord and she felt that she owed him this at least. "Fine."

Robin let out a long breath. "Thank you." He said as he placed a hand on hers and gently squeezed.

His touch brought Regina back to a time when it was welcomed, anticipated. A time when he had ravished her all throughout the night, brought her pleasure upon pleasure. Yet, as he laid his hand upon hers now, the sparks that she'd come to expect didn't follow. Not in the way they'd started to whenever Emma so much as brushed past her. It was an empty touch, devoid of attachment.

"I'm going to run to the shops and stock up the fridge, care to join me?" He offered.

"I think I'll stay and talk to Henry a little more once Emma's finished on the phone." She said, thinking quickly for an excuse.

He nodded and left her there, twiddling her thumbs.

When she heard the front door close she simply closed her eyes and lay back on the bed, feeling utterly spent. She stated there for a while, letting thoughts swirl about her mind in a flurry. As much as she now dreaded the dinner with Robin, she supposed it might help to clear the air a little. The two of them really hadn't had much chance to speak properly since she'd arrived with Emma.

Soon she began to feel tired and she knew if she stayed still she'd fall asleep again so she rose to her feet and returned to the living room. Emma wasn't even on the phone anymore.

"So we have a way to get to the author and it sounds like Gold's losing the loyalty of one of his minions." Emma smiled widely. "Good day!"

"Indeed." Regina said, simply, sitting down next to Emma.

"How about while he's gone, we discuss last night?" The blonde suggested.

Regina rolled her eyes. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. "I don't believe there's much to discuss."

"You do remember last night, don't you?" Emma asked.

"Unfortunately." Regina felt a twinge of guilt as the word left her mouth, wiping the smile off of Emma's face.

"So, what? You were just going to never mention it again? Pretend it didn't happen?"

"Mention what?"

Emma scoffed, "You are a real piece of work, you know that, right?"

"I'm genuinely confused." Regina just couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth. She knew it was a defence mechanism, an instinctual reaction. She was well aware of what Emma was referring to, the moment they'd shared, the moment shattered by their son's arrival. A moment which gave Regina goosebumps just thinking about it.

"Okay, just answer this. Please." Emma said. "If Henry wasn't standing across the street, what exactly would have happened when we got back?"

"We would have entered the apartment and gone to bed."

Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Gone to sleep!"

"Right."

"I don't know what you're going on about."

"I was about to kiss you, Regina, and you were about to kiss me back." Emma yelled, slamming a fist next to her thigh.

"I was not!"

"I don't know why I bother." Emma groaned. "Fine. If you're that disgusted with yourself, I'll let you pretend like it never happened. How's that?"

"Great."

Emma visibly flinched, hurt suddenly apparent in the tears glistening in her eyes.

"Emma, I didn't mean it like that." Regina said quickly, reaching out for the blonde's hand, but she pulled away. "I'm not disgusted, I just-"

"Don't bother." Emma said, rising to her feet and grabbing her jacket. "I'll see you later." With that she let herself out of the apartment, leaving Regina alone.

She sighed heavily and rested her face in her hands.

"Gina?" A concerned, high-pitched voice said.

"Roland." Regina forced a smile. "Are you okay, dear?"

"Is Emma upset?"

Regina shook her head, "Why would you think that?"

"She slammed the door."

"Well, sometimes grown-ups just get a little frustrated."

"Are you upset? You look like you're going to cry."

"I'm just fine, sweetheart." Regina reassured him. "Hey, how about we go and get some ice cream? It's a bit lonely cooped up in here by ourselves, isn't it?"

"Yay!" Roland cheered, already waddling for the door. "Can I have chocolate?"

"Anything you want."

As she closed the door behind them, she forcefully shoved all thoughts of Emma and Robin and Gold from her mind, clasping the little boy's hand she told herself it could all be dealt with later, when her mind was clearer, when she'd had her fill of ice cream. She decided maybe she'd buy a bucket of it for later, too.


	16. Chapter 16

_Warning: small passage involving non-con!_

* * *

Though Robin had insisted that tonight wouldn't be a date, the quaint, expensive Italian restaurant lit by candlelight with a violinist playing in the corner suggested otherwise. Not to mention, he had very obviously put a lot of effort into his appearance, choosing a blue shirt which he'd remembered to have been one of her favourites. The gesture wasn't lost on her and the moment she'd seen it she'd began to feel uncomfortable. When they got inside and he asked for a table and then took her coat and held her chair out for her, acting the perfect gentleman, she bit her lip and reacted politely, but tried not to seem overly-pleased with his actions.

"How are you holding up?" She asked him after they'd taken seats and ordered their drinks, two glasses of red wine. She was sure the alcohol would be helpful.

Robin bit his lip and shook his head. "Its… It's difficult to explain…. But I feel almost relieved."

"Relieved?" Regina repeated, confusion marring her features. Of all things, that was an emotion she hadn't expected him to be feeling.

"I knew that something was different with Marian. Though, I'll never forgive myself for not working out what was wrong sooner, I did know that something was off. Even when I thought she'd come back, found her way back to me, it never truly felt like it. This whole time, she's been gone." He sighed heavily, frowned. "Now that it's official, I can finally let her go."

"I'm sorry." Regina said, her words sincere. She rested her hand on the top of his, comfortingly. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

"More than you should." Robin agreed. "Regina I am truly sorry for leaving you. I believed I was being honourable but the moment I set foot outside of Storybrooke… I knew it was the wrong decision. If Marian had been herself, she would have told me to be with you. In fact, that should have been my first clue that she wasn't who she claimed to be." He sighed. "It was idiocy to attempt to continue a marriage with somebody I could no longer love. Even Roland could tell it wasn't as it should have been, he would remind me daily to smile and as much as I tried, my smiles felt empty. I haven't truly smiled since I left you."

Regina took a moment to take a gulp of wine, avoiding his gaze. "I think I've moved on, Robin." She blurted out. She didn't wish to lead him on and she had no interest in picking up where they'd left off. The spark they used to share was gone, fizzled out into nothingness.

His face crumbled and he squeezed her hand in his. "Already?"

Regina gaped at him and drawled, "You're a fine one to talk. You gave me no time to prepare for you leaving. You went straight to her without a second thought. Yes, I know you did it because of your honour, your code, but that doesn't make it hurt any less that it was such an easy decision for you. I'm sick of being the second choice, Robin. I'm always a second choice."

Robin gritted his teeth. "I believe it is I who needs to do the forgiving here, not you."

"Excuse me?"

"You killed my wife, Regina. You murdered her and I _still_ want to be with you anyway and you can't forgive me for being an honourable man? We're soul mates, surely you can forgive me that?"

Regina instantly felt the swell of anger within her. "That was who I was, not who I am." She spat the words out like poison. There was a time he had told her that, a time he'd comforted her when she doubted herself, reminded her that she could be good. To hear him point out the flaws that she was already torturing herself over felt unbearable, like salt in a wound.

"Maybe so, but your actions had consequences that still live on." Robin stated as though oblivious to the stabbing pain his words were invoking in her. "I stood by you, despite your past, and I'm offering you a second chance with me, despite the fact that you destroyed my first chance with Marian. Is that still not enough for you? What do I have to do to show you that I love you?"

Regina took a number of slow, deliberate breaths as her fist began to shake. If she had her magic, she would be worried for Robin's welfare about now. He was so blind to the wrongness of his words, speaking as though he were entitled to her, like she should be pleading for him to take her back and it made her want to send him crashing through the glass wall behind them.

Instead, she steadily got to her feet. "I'll see you back at the apartment." She said, turning to leave without another word.

Behind her, Robin swore and put a twenty on the table before following her out. "What's wrong with you?" He asked as they stepped outside.

She spun on him. "With me?" She snapped.

"Isn't this what you wanted? Didn't you say you missed me? We can get back to what we had, Regina. We can carry on."

"I don't think that's going to happen." She said simply as she stalked off again, walking quickly to try and evade him.

He jogged lightly beside her to keep up. "Is there someone else?"

Regina didn't answer.

"Who is it?" Robin raised his voice until he was almost yelling. "Have you been with someone else?"

"No, I haven't." Regina spat and then turned to face him, sneering. "But if I had, it would be none of your business."

"Then, I don't understand." Robin said. "Tell me what's wrong. There must be a reason."

"The reason is simple. I am no longer in love with you. I realised it soon after seeing you again."

"That's impossible…" Robin muttered. "We're soul mates."

"Despite what you may think, that doesn't bind me to you. It doesn't make me yours and it doesn't change the fact that I no longer have feelings for you."

"You loved me once." He whined. "You can love me again." With that, he took ahold of her arm, pulled her into the alley they'd been passing and spun her around.

She looked at him in shock but had no time to say anything before he leaned in and claimed her mouth with his own. His body ground into hers, trapping her between himself and the solid wall and panic immediately began to bubble in her stomach, her mind taking her back to a time when she was frequently taken against her will, trapped beneath an old and heavy King with sickening breath. She tried to tell him to get his hands off of her but the moment she opened her mouth, he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in. Without a second thought, she bit down hard and he gasped, pulling away and putting a hand to his mouth. She tasted blood.

" _Don't ever lay your hands on me again."_ She seethed.

"Regina, I-"

"Don't!" She interrupted. Something in her eyes must have scared him because he immediately back down, raising his hands in surrender and didn't move to follow her again as she left him cowering there. She was shaking, her heart thumping heavily in her chest as she tried to walk normally until she rounded a corner and could no longer stand it. She broke into a run and, despite the heels she was wearing, continued the pace until she arrived back at the apartment, the whole time trying desperately to calm her mind. She took a few moments outside to slow her breathing before buzzing the call button, not wanting Emma to see her in such a state. It was hopeless though, the more she tried to stop the panic, the more it pushed back and when Emma opened the door to her, the blonde could see straight away that something was wrong.

"What did he do?" She asked, voice low.

"I don't want to talk about it." Regina said, walking straight past her into the bedroom.

Emma followed her. "Did he hurt you?"

After a brief moment of confusion, Regina realised Emma was looking at her lip and when she wiped her hand over the spot, it came away with blood. "No, this is Robin's." She said, dully.

"So, you bit him?" Emma asked, eyebrows raised.

Regina couldn't stop the chuckle, "No, Miss Swan. I did not just bite him. I'm not a two-year-old."

"Then how did his blood end up on your lip?"

"He kissed me."

"And you didn't approve."

"No, I didn't."

"I see." Emma sat down on the bed next to her. "So you did bite him?"

Regina rolled her eyes but didn't answer.

"t found a wifi box and laptop that Robin hadn't been using. Want to watch some Netflix?"

Regina smiled, pleased that Emma wasn't pushing her. She wasn't stupid, she knew Emma would press her later, or perhaps confront Robin after seeing the fright in her eyes when she'd returned early from their 'dinner date'. But for now, Emma understood that Regina didn't want to speak, and that was okay.

"Any preferences?" The blonde asked as she loaded the website.

"I don't have much experience in TV."

"I have a few suggestions, series or movie?"

"Series. I want something that can keep my entertained for the rest of our stay." Regina said. _Something to keep me busy in this room while I avoid Robin like the plague,_ she thought.

"I have one in mind." Emma grinned.

Three episodes of Orange is the New Black later, and Regina was hooked. Not to mention a little hot and bothered. She'd never watched something with such intimate scenes before, she hadn't even known that shows like this existed.

"When you were in prison, were people really at each other all the time like this?" Regina asked when what must have been the tenth or so sex scene started.

"Well, this is a little exaggerated but there were some people like that I guess."

"And yourself?"

Emma choked. "Excuse me?"

"Did you engage in anything like… this, with other women?" Regina asked, seriously.

Emma laughed nervously, unsure what to say, "I can't believe you just asked me that."

Regina frowned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's not the question that makes me uncomfortable."

"Then, why are you uncomfortable?"

"Because I feel like you're massively judging me right now."

"I certainly wouldn't judge you for that." Regina said.

Something about the look on the brunette's face prompted Emma's next question. "Have you ever…?"

"Once, a long time ago."

Emma's eyes widened with badly-hidden shock. "Seriously? Who?"

"Maleficent. Back when I was just beginning to learn magic, she taught me a lot."

"I bet she did." Emma smirked suggestively.

"Not like that." Regina said, her smile gave away an element of truth in Emma's statement, however.

"Wow, a dragon too. Impressive. How did a love affair end with you cursing her to live as a dragon for twenty eight years in isolation?" Emma asked.

"The Evil Queen had no room for love in her life, of any kind." Regina answered, solemnly. "Now, will you answer my question?"

"Not while I was in prison, but there was a girl I liked, when I was younger." Emma admitted. "She was one of the few people I ever really cared about. We were kind of together for a while, but she was a wild card, always getting into trouble. One day I'd had enough and just had to cut it off."

"What did she do?"

"Lots of things. I have to wonder if she ended up in prison, too." Emma mused, a sad smile on her face. "She ruined my chances with a family, a chance which turned out to be my last, and I just couldn't deal anymore. She was too destructive."

"What was her name?"

"Lily."


	17. Chapter 17

**_Warning: Some violence and non-con!_**

 _"_ _Regina…" The name fell from her lips like a spell, covering her arms with goosebumps at the shiver it ignited within her._

 _Regina was sat on her desk, legs parted, Emma stood between them, running her hands up and down her smooth thighs, hiking her skirt further up her legs to reveal more and more skin. Regina let out a soft moan at the contact and Emma wanted to hear more, wanted to hear her screaming her name in pleasure as she came undone. Her hands slid further up the brunette's legs, reaching for the waistband of her panties, but Regina stopped her._

 _"_ _You first." Regina gasped as she pushed the blonde away from her, stood up and spun then around, so that Emma was pressed against the desk instead. "You're overdressed, Miss Swan." Her fingers gripped the bottom of Emma's tank top and rolled the material up and over her head, revealing a deep blue bra encasing rounded breasts, she sighed shakily, hands reaching for the clasp behind Emma's back which she undid with ease. The bra dropped to the floor and Emma stood proudly before her as Regina gazed in awe over her body._

 _"_ _Touch me." Emma whispered and Regina was more than happy to comply, palming the blonde's breasts in her hand. Her touch sent shivers up Emma's spine._

 _Regina leant into her and claimed her lips in a fiery kiss, tongue invading Emma's mouth in a effortless dance. As she pulled away she softly took Emma's bottom lip in her teeth and pulled, eliciting a groan from the younger woman._

 _"_ _What do you want me to do now?" Regina asked, huskily, a gleam in her eyes._

 _Emma took the brunette's hand wordlessly and moved it to the button of her jeans._

 _"_ _Ah, I see." Regina quickly opened her jeans and then hooked her fingers under both the waistbands of her panties and pants to slide them down her thighs. "Sit on the desk." She ordered._

 _Emma did as she was told and Regina was immediately upon her, pushing her legs apart and kneeling down before the blonde._

 _"_ _I wonder what you taste like…" She whispered as she placed her face between her thighs. Her tongue darted out, teasing as it dragged across Emma's clit in quick, short strokes, igniting a fire within her belly._

 _"_ _Regina…"_

 _"_ _You like that?"_

 _"_ _I love that." Emma breathed. "Please."_

 _"_ _Please, what?"_

 _"_ _I need your fingers."_

 _Regina smiled in victory and brought a hand to Emma's core, her fingers teasing at her entrance for just a moment whilst she continued to circle her tongue around her bundle of nerves and then she was thrusting inside of her, hooking her fingers just right to hit that spot that she knew would send Emma wild within minutes…_

* * *

Emma woke up sweating. This time, she was the one wrapped around Regina, tightly pressed up against her body from behind and she gasped a little when she realised that her hand was resting high on the older woman's thigh. It was still dark and she wondered for a moment what woken her.

When a thud sounded from the hall, she shot a glance through the gap in the doorway to see a figure moving around. Robin had finally decided to return. The two of them had made sure Roland was fast asleep and got into bed themselves at around eleven, assuming that Robin was having some kind of tantrum and would return when he was ready. It seemed he'd finally done so. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told her it was four in the morning and she wondered what Robin had been doing for so long.

She uncurled from Regina as carefully as she could, though she figured that if that loud noise hadn't stirred her, she was probably in a deep enough sleep that she wouldn't wake from a little rustling.

Robin was drunk. Far drunker than she and Regina had been the other night. The man looked as though he was struggling to support the weight of his own head as he swayed about the room and when he turned around to face Emma, she was shocked to see tears tracking his face. Next, she noticed the cause of the thud. A chair lay on it's side on the floor at the other end of the room, clearly having been tossed there. It was then that she noticed the shaking of Robin's fists, his cheeks were flushed red and a deep scowl was set on his face.

Emma froze, completely lost for words.

Robin, on the other hand, wasn't. "All this time," he spat out at her, "you were fucking her?"

Emma gaped at him, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me, Emma. There had to be a reason, I told her that there had to be a reason, but she lied to my face." He slurred, taking an unsteady step towards her.

"I don't-"

"I just saw the two of you!" He shouted. "Bloody spooning!"

"Nothing was happening, Robin, we moved closer in our sleep, that was all."

"Liar!"

"Lower your voice." Emma snapped, glancing towards Roland's closed bedroom door. "Unless, you want your son to see you in this state?"

"She told me she didn't love me." Robin whimpered.

Suddenly, Emma remembered the look on Regina's face when she returned that evening, the blood on her lip. Her eyes went to Robin's mouth.

"How could she not love me?"

The moment he opened his mouth again, Emma spotted the bite mark on his tongue. Two blood spots on it's tip which pointed to only one thing. "I thought you had a code? That you were an honourable man?" She baited.

"I am." He said, brow crinkled, confused at her question.

"What the hell made you think it was okay to put your hands on her or- or to kiss her, without her consent?" Emma shouted, anger bubbling within her.

Robin scowled at her. "I just wanted to remind her, to show her that we belong together."

"Yeah, well you did the opposite." Emma growled. "She told you she doesn't love you, now you need to leave it at that."

"Because she thinks she loves you?" Robin asked as he stepped towards her intimidatingly. He towered over her in size and his drunken state sent a spark of worry through Emma. She was well aware of the ways in which alcohol could change people, she'd seen it in one too many of her foster parents and the looks in their eyes were the same as the one she was seeing now, violent and out of control.

"We're not together, Robin, you're wrong." Emma said, carefully as she moved away from him.

Robin matched her step for step, fists still tightly clenched, when suddenly he stopped and looked at something behind her, the expression on his face instantly changing from one of anger to one of desperation.

"And even if we were, thief, it would be _none of your business_." Regina hissed from their bedroom doorway.

"The hell it isn't!" Robin shouted. "If you missed me so desperately that I pushed you into the arms of a _woman_ , I'm deeply sorry, but I'm here now and I want you back." He spat out the word 'woman' like it was poison, like the very idea was ridiculous.

"You didn't push me into anyone's arms." Regina said. "It has become clear to me, however, that Emma would be, by far, the preferable partner."

Emma swallowed at those words. She knew that Regina said them only to hurt Robin, but they sparked something within her and she found herself hoping against hope that they were true.

"I can make you feel things that she never could." Robin said as he started to walk toward her.

Emma blocked his path and shoved him back. "Go to bed, Robin. Sleep this off and we'll pretend it never happened."

Robin didn't even glance at her, his eyes set firmly on Regina's and when he moved forward again, he caught Emma by surprise with a blow to her shoulder, pushing her forcefully out of his way, not even flinching as the blonde crashed to the floor, her head bouncing off the wood. Then he was storming towards Regina.

"Do you not remember how I used to make you feel?" He asked as he grabbed Regina by her waist, spinning her around so that her back was pressed against the bedroom wall. "Emma couldn't fuck you like I can." He held her still as he leaned forward, claiming her lips against her wishes for the second time in one night.

Regina struggled against him, but he was far stronger than her and without her magic she was powerless. There was no worse feeling and the panic it incited was almost paralysing. When his hands moved around to her backside and squeezed, her mind went frantic. She tried to shout, but her words were muffled by his tongue. She closed her eyes and pushed against him but he held still, not even faltering. So when his weight was so suddenly removed, she gasped in surprise.

Emma stood in front of her, a frying pan in her hand. Robin had gone down hard, hitting the floor with a loud thud. He groaned, only just still conscious. He had fallen outside of the bedroom door and without a second thought, Emma kicked his hand out of the way and slammed it shut, turning the key and locking them both inside.

The moment she heard the lock turn, Regina's legs buckled, her body sliding down the wall until she fell to the floor in a heap, taking great, heaving breaths. Emma dropped to her knees beside her. "Hey, you're okay," she murmured soothingly. The brunette held her gaze as though she needed it to keep breathing, eyes unwavering, tears glistening. When she reached out with a shaking hand, Emma quickly held it, squeezing reassuringly. "You're okay."

"Emma." Regina whispered, her voice unsteady. "I thought he was going to- I thought-"

"He didn't." Emma interrupted her. "He didn't, Regina, and he won't come near you again. I promise." She had never meant her words more truly than she did in that moment, the broken expression on Regina's face shattering her heart into a thousand pieces, her chest tightening painfully.

They both flinched when they heard movement on the other side. It sounded as though Robin was dragging himself across the floor. To their relief, he didn't try to get in, it sounded like he was moving away.

"He better be going to bed because I don't want Roland to be the one to find him in the morning." Emma muttered, it was a miracle that the boy hadn't woken yet.

When she looked back to Regina, the brunette had a far-off look in her eyes. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, eyes unfocused and a fearful expression on her face. She was somewhere else, Emma realised immediately, somewhere nightmarish deep within her own mind. She gently shook her hand, smiling softly when Regina turned to face her, brought back to the present.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked.

Regina simply shook her head and pulled back her hand. Slowly, she got to her feet, declining when Emma offered her arm for support. "I just want to go to bed." She muttered.

Emma watched as she climbed back under the covers, curling her knees up to her chest and closing her eyes, blocking out the world. She followed her into bed but was careful to give the brunette some space, lying at the edge of her side of the mattress.

It surprised her when Regina rolled over to face her and moved a little closer, wordlessly reaching out for her hand. She entwined her fingers in Emma's, eyes still closed. Emma smiled. Regina would always be too proud to easily admit when she needed support, but it didn't matter, she would give it anyway.


	18. Chapter 18

The ring tone of Regina's mobile startled them the next morning and both of them awoke in the same position that they'd fallen asleep in, albeit a little closer. They were almost nose-to-nose, sharing breath, still holding hands. Neither was quick to jump away from the other this time, however, and they both shared a small smile before Regina rolled over to reach for the phone on the bedside table.

"Yes?" She answered, voice laden with sleep. "Maleficent?" Her eyes widened and she sat straight up, pressing the loud speaker button.

"Your son gave me your number." Maleficent explained.

"Is he okay?" Emma asked.

"Ah, Saviour, hello. Yes, your son is fine, quite the young man."

Both Emma and Regina shared a small sigh of relief.

"Then what, may I ask, are you calling about?" Regina asked. "And what exactly is going on between you and Gold? Whose side are you on?"

"Certainly not his." Maleficent drawled. "If I could have stopped him from hurting you, Regina, I would have. You must know that. I wanted nothing more than to incinerate him on the spot."

"But you didn't." Regina said, a little bit of hurt in her voice.

"I wouldn't have stood a chance." Maleficent said, apologetically. "I was quite impressed when I heard what you did, Emma."

"I just did what I had to." Emma stated in a tight voice, still not entirely okay with Maleficent's part in what had happened to Regina. She hadn't really believed that she could take Gold down either, but she'd burst from the corner without a second thought after hearing Regina in pain, not even thinking about what her chances were.

"But you're okay, Regina? You had a chance to heal before you left?" Maleficent asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. He didn't get a chance to do any lasting damage."

They both heard Maleficent breathe out deeply with what must have been relief. Her worry for Regina evident.

"The moment I get a chance, he's going down." She seethed. "I want in on whatever plan the two of you have."

"We haven't got much of a-" Emma started.

Regina silenced her with a wave of her hand. "How do we know for sure that we can trust you? Gold might be standing next to you right now, listening to this entire conversation."

"You know that's not true." Maleficent said in a shaking voice, hurt at the insinuation. "I still care about you, Regina."

"You still care about me despite the fact that I locked you away for so many years? How can I believe that?"

"Like I told you before, what you did to me was child's play compared to the people who have hurt me most," she explained and Emma stiffened at the thought of her parent's dark sides, "and I know you, Regina. I know that you weren't yourself for a long time. All that you went through… It changed you, destroyed you. In your right mind you would never have harmed me."

Regina's eyes darkened at the mention of her past and Emma had to wonder about what exactly Regina's past included that wasn't mentioned in Henry's storybook. "So you're over it? Just like that?"

"I was over it years ago." Maleficent stated. "But I understand it might take you a while to trust me, so I won't push you for now. Just know that when the time comes, I'll be on your side and if you're going up against the Dark One, you can use all the help you can get."

"We'll see." Regina said, but her voice was soft, no longer weary of her old friend.

"There was something else I wanted to ask." Maleficent said. "Something I need to request of you both."

"What is it?"

"Emma, I believe you are now aware of what your parents took from me a number of years ago?"

Emma grit her teeth. She hadn't had much time to dwell on her parents lies since they'd left. There had been far more important matters at hand but the reminder still filled her with resentment. "Yes."

"Well, I heard that before you came to Storybrooke, you had a talent for finding people."

"Yeah." Emma confirmed, eyes wide as she realised where Maleficent was going with this.

"Before the two of you return, I was hoping you could take one last trip," Maleficent suggested, her tone filled with hope, "to find my daughter?"

Emma exchanged a set glance with Regina, both of them immediately in agreement that they should help. This was an opportunity for Emma to make amends for her parents mistake, to help someone who had suffered what was meant to have been Emma's cross to bear.

"If you can do that for me, I would owe you more than I could ever offer. You have my word. You can trust me."

"We can do that." Emma said and Maleficent let out what sounded like a small sob of relief. "Tell me what you know about her."

"Not much. Just that she was banished to this world thirty years ago and she was adopted by a couple in a place called Minnesota." She explained. "They named her Lilith."

Regina immediately noticed the change in Emma's eyes, her entire face had tensed and for a moment she was silent.

"Emma?" Regina probed. "Are you alright?"

"Lily."

"I said Lilith." Maleficent said, confused.

"No…" Emma mumbled, half to herself. "It couldn't be…"

"Emma, what is it?"

The blonde looked up at Regina, an incredulous look on her face, before she shook her head to clear whatever thoughts had plagued her and looked back to the phone. "We'll look for her."

Maleficent sighed in relief. "Please bring her back to me."

"We'll do our best." Regina said.

"Thank you. I have to go now, but I trust you'll call me if you find anything?"

"Of course."

A beep signalled the end of the conversation and Regina immediately looked to Emma.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember that girl I was telling you about, last night? Lily?"

Regina nodded.

"She was adopted in Minnesota thirty years ago."

Regina's eyes widened in surprise. "It might just be a coincidence?"

"I stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago."

"There's probably an abundance of Lily's who have been adopted in Minnesota, it's a big place." Emma just shot Regina an incredulous look and the brunette relented. "Fine, we both know that fate's a bitch."

Emma frowned. "The only friend I ever had wasn't even my friend by choice."

"I've been there too." Regina said with a sigh.

"You have?"

"You think it was a coincidence that I just so happened to adopt the Saviour's son?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled softly in understanding before climbing out of the bed. "Well, I better start looking. Come with me to the library?"

She needn't have asked. Regina certainly didn't want to spend another moment here with Robin, whether he was conscious or not. "Let's bring Roland with us. I don't want him waking up later to find Robin hungover."

"Good idea."

They left a note for Robin before leaving, explaining that Roland was with them, then woke the little boy up and got him dressed and ready. He was more than excited for a small trip with the two of them.

The library was only a few blocks away and as they walked, Emma took the time to call a few of her old contacts, giving them what little she knew as well as what she remembered to be her old friend's surname, Page. Regina carried Roland on her hip and he chatted to her the entire way there, talking of how he missed her and of all the things they'd do when they got back. It broke Regina's heart that seeing Roland more in the future had become less and less likely as their time at Robin's had gone on and it spurred her growing hatred for the man.

Emma knew that the research she had to do was going to take a while, so she suggested that Regina take Roland out for a while to pass the time. The brunette was happy to oblige and she decided to let the little boy show her around the city he'd been living in. He took her hand happily as he dragged her around the roads, pointing out his favourite places which, Regina wasn't surprised to hear, included his favourite ice cream parlour. It was waffles that they ended up eating, though, waffles smothered in chocolate sauce with vanilla ice cream on the side and Roland managed to make quite the mess of himself. Despite Regina's efforts to cover him with napkins, by the time they left the place, his top was splattered with chocolate and his fingers sticky. Not that Regina minded, so long as he was happy.

When they finally returned to the library, a number of hours later, Emma was sat in the same spot with the same frown on her face as she searched the internet, but her frown quickly disappeared when she turned to face the two of them and broke out in laughter.

"What?" Regina asked, eyebrows raised.

Roland started giggling, too, when he saw what Emma was looking at. "I didn't tell her because it was funny." He said, pointing to Regina's face.

"Would someone please explain?"

Emma took out her phone and opened her forward-facing camera, then thrust it at Regina who gasped when she caught sight of herself. Apparently, Roland hadn't been the only messy eater. Somehow she had managed to smear an obscene amount of chocolate all over her cheek. Not to mention, the marks around her mouth.

"Roland!" She gasped. "You let me walk around New York like this? Is this why that waiter laughed at me when I asked for the bill?"

Roland simply laughed even louder, holding his belly as he doubled over. Emma passed Regina a tissue to clean herself up and the brunette snatched it from her, she was smiling a little, however, not entirely annoyed.

"And you called me messy!" Roland exclaimed.

"Yes, I thought you were a queen and a bit more refined than this, Regina." Emma mocked, using her own old words against her.

Regina simply glared back, desperate to take the attention off herself. " _Anyway,_ " She said pointedly, "have you had any luck?"

Emma sighed. "Not really, other than pretty much confirming that she's the Lily we need, she wasn't just adopted in Minnesota, she was found abandoned, on her own like I was. She's definitely Maleficent's daughter." Emma said with a groan. "She's moved around a lot. I've found a load of previous addresses but all from years ago. The most recent is a place in Lowell, Massachusetts, five years ago."

"Is that far from here?"

"Not that far, about four hours drive. It's not far from where I was five years ago. Boston."

"How strange."

"Tell me about it." Emma rolled her eyes as she logged off the computer and stood up. "Ready for another road trip? Check out that last address?"

"Most definitely."

* * *

Robin was awake when they returned, he'd showered and now sat at the table with damp hair, at the end of a large glass of water, clearly attempting to sober up. He got to his feet the moment they came through the door and patted Roland on the head as the boy ran to him for a hug.

"We ate waffles!" He exclaimed, excitedly.

"Wow, that sounds delicious." Robin smiled and then said, "Why don't you go and play in your room for a bit, son? I need to speak to Regina and Emma for a little bit."

"Okay, papa." Roland said as he ran off.

"Regina, I'm so sorry." Robin started as he approached, reaching out with a hand.

Emma was quick to block his path, reaching back to put a hand on Regina's shoulder, protectively. "Don't bother." She said.

Robin nodded in surrender and took a step back, looking at Regina with wide, apologetic eyes.

"We need to borrow your car." Emma stated.

"May I ask what for?"

"Something we need to do to help someone from back home," Emma explained shortly, "before we go back."

"You're planning to return soon? We still haven't formulated a plan." Robin complained.

" _Regina and I_ still haven't formulated a plan. You don't have anything to do with it anymore." Emma snapped, causing Robin to recoil a little. "We'll figure something out soon enough."

Robin didn't even attempt to argue, instead settling for a remorseful expression as he nodded, not that Emma cared about any remorse he might be feeling. "The keys are over there." He sighed, pointing to the kitchen counter. "There's some money hidden under the toaster too, take whatever you need."

Emma walked over to where he'd pointed but stopped short as she reached out for the keys.

"Emma? What is it?" Regina asked.

Emma was still for a moment, eyes focused on the piece of jewellery laying to the right of the car keys, mind working furiously. "I might have a plan."

* * *

Regina climbed into Robin's car impatiently, eyes on Emma. The blonde had refused to explain what she was thinking in front of the thief and Regina was itching to hear what she'd thought up. She closed the door with a slam and looked to Emma. "Well?"

Emma opened her fist to reveal a necklace. In particular, the necklace that Zelena had been wearing to disguise herself as Marian.

"We still have some magic." Regina murmured, gazing at the jewellery.

Emma smiled widely. "This is how we get close to Gold." At Regina's confused expression, she explained. "Maleficent. She goes out of sight for a while and I disguise myself as her. We get back into the loop of Gold's plan and we're one step ahead again."

Regina frowned. "If you think I'm letting you near that monster, you're crazy." She said. "And I don't see how this helps us in the long run."

"That's not all of it."

"Oh?"

"Since Maleficent mentioned her daughter, I've been thinking. We decided that Gold wants me to turn dark so he can take my blood, right? So he can use the blood of a dark saviour to power the ink?"

"Right…" Regina said, unsure of where the blonde was going with this.

"Some of my darkness was _transferred_ into Lily."

Regina's eyes widened, the realisation hitting her. "We can use her blood."

"And then we have it all." Emma finished for her. "A way to get the author and a way to get the ink."

"We don't have a quill." Regina stated.

"No, but with this," Emma held up the necklace, "we have a way to steal it, assuming Gold has it."

Regina smiled. "Well, it appears we have our plan. Care to step on it, Miss Swan?"


	19. Chapter 19

**_This chapter's a bit longer than usual, mainly because I got lost in all the smut ;)_**

 ** _Warning: Mentions of past abuse and non-con._**

The drive to Massachusetts was a long one and the day was darkening by the time Emma pulled up outside a set of apartment complexes which looked a far lot worse than Robin's. It didn't look like any maintenance had been done outside, given the overgrown grass, peeling paint and the dead rat on the doorstep. Inside wasn't much better, either. The smell was the worst, cigarette smoke and an array of other drug fumes filled the air, accompanied by stale body odour and somebody's egg dinner.

"Why did I go through the trouble of creating Storybrooke, when I could have cursed everyone to live here?" Regina said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Emma shrugged at her, in agreement that this place would indeed have been a far worse fate for the Kingdom, then knocked loudly on the door to room 6a and waited.

"Yeah?" A voice came from around the corner of the corridor and a man emerged, cigarette in hand. He certainly looked the part for living in a place like this. His hair and beard both knotted and lined with grease and a beer belly protruding from a top that was far too small for him. He swayed a bit as he walked and as he got closer, Emma could smell whiskey on his breath.

"Sorry to disturb you." Emma said. "We're looking for Lilith Page, is she around?"

"No she ain't around." The man said, shortly. "Not for years."

"You know where she moved?" Emma pushed, praying that this man would be more helpful than he looked.

"Lady, she ain't moving nowhere. She's dead."

Emma wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't that. She struggled to find words for a moment, "What?"

"Car wreck, couple of years back. Pretty sure she was drunk." The man drawled, a nasty leer on his face. "Not that anyone missed her. I mean, she was a weird one. Kept to herself. 'Course she had one of those personalities that you wanted to stay far away from. A real loser."

With each sentence, Emma felt what little patience she still contained leaving her bit by bit. Anger was building in the pit of her stomach and she was ready to pounce on him at any moment. It finally happened when the grimy drunk dared to utter the word 'loser' and she lost it with a flurry of energy, throwing herself at the man with a roar and grabbing him by his lapels. She spun him around and thrust him harshly into the corridor wall, dust crumbled onto him from the botchy building work and his eyes widened in shock at her outburst.

"She was my friend!" Emma shouted, voice hoarse with emotion as she raised her fist, ready to break his nose.

"Emma! Emma!" Regina yelled as she rushed towards the two of them. She took a breath and lowered her voice, a calming hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Emma. it's not worth it." She said, unblinking as she tried desperately to pull Emma's focus from the worthless piece of crap in front of her.

Emma froze where she was, fist still in the air as the man breathed shakily. After a few seconds, Regina's words seemed to sink in and she snapped out of whatever had overtaken her with a sharp blink and shake of her head. She released the man with a shove and stepped away from him, staring him down as he looked back at her in horror.

Finally, she turned to face Regina and started walking back the way they'd come, leaving the man to gather himself together.

Regina quickly followed. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine." Emma stated, words as devoid of emotion as her eyes which stared blankly ahead. "I'm absolutely fine."

They climbed into the car and Emma put it into gear.

"So, what do we do now?" Regina asked.

"We go back. We failed."

"Couldn't we go to another address you found? See if anybody there knows anything?"

"The other addresses are all over the place and from well over ten years ago. Anyway, the chances that she made any lasting connections aren't good." Emma said, leaving no room for disagreement as she quickly pulled out and started driving.

* * *

They were about an hour into the silent drive back when Regina finally decided to force some words out of Emma, having become increasingly worried as time had gone on and the scowl had remained set on the blonde's face.

"Do you want to talk about what happened back there?" She asked, carefully.

"Nope."

Regina's patience went out the window with Emma's curt reply. "You nearly put that guy through a wall."

"Look I know what you're thinking but what happened back there wasn't me turning dark, okay? It was mourning a friend, you understand that?" Emma snapped back.

"Emma, you know you're not responsible for what happened."

"You heard what that guy said. Her life wasn't pretty, it was dark. That darkness was meant for me, or could have been, or-"

"EMMA!" Regina screamed, yanking the blonde's attention back to the road just in time to see a wolf stood dead centre, staring into their headlights.

She swerved right, narrowly avoiding the animal who remained rooted to the spot. The car rolled off the road, onto rougher terrain and both of them left their seats with the momentum, before coming back down with a thud.

"You okay?" Regina asked, looking to the blonde who'd braced herself against the steering wheel.

"This has happened before." Emma muttered quietly, mind working fast. "The wolf in the road, the accident… The first time I tried to leave Storybrooke."

"Stop over thinking." Regina said as the two of them climbed unsteadily out of the car, where she immediately noticed the deflated car wheel. "It's not fate, its just a flat, we need a new tyre." She glanced up to a sign up the road: _1/4 mile, Gas Station, Coffee Mug Diner._ "Unless fate wants you to go to Coffee Mug Diner for help, I'd chalk it up to accidents happen. I'll get a tyre, you get a coffee."

Emma nodded in agreement and they walked the quarter mile in silence, both mulling over what had happened. Regina had to admit to herself, it was curious. Wolves seemed to be a running theme where fate was concerned and it had her wondering whether this one was really an accident or not.

They were both unhappy to find that the diner was closed when they reached it. It was only then that they realised how late it was, the moon already high in the sky. They went to check if the gas station was open despite the late hour and weren't surprised to find it closed down for the night as well.

"You girls okay?" A gruff voice asked from behind them and they spun around to see an old man with a scruffy, grey beard and bald head limping towards them.

"Not really, no." Regina answered. "We've got a flat and no way to change it."

"Ah, yeah, everywhere's closed for the night. You got somewhere to stay?"

"We'll probably just sleep in the car." Emma said, prompting a frown from Regina.

"Two lovely ladies such as yourselves are more than welcome to stay at mine for the night, if you want?" He asked, leering a little.

"Uh, no thank you. We wouldn't want to intrude." Emma said, politely as she could muster.

"Fair enough." He sighed, hands on his belt. "Well, there's always the motel up the road, just around those trees." He said, pointing behind them.

"Perfect." Regina smiled, eager to get away. "Thanks, we should probably get going before it gets any later."

"Sure," the old man nodded, "See you around."

"I'll be quite happy if we never see him again." Regina muttered as they turned their backs and began the walk down the road.

The motel wasn't great looking but compared to Robin's and Lily's ex-apartment it was luxury. Well-cleaned, grounds maintained and, they were pleased to find, clean bed sheets and a sparkling bathroom. The only room left had been a couple's room with a double bed, but neither of them were complaining seeing as that was how they'd spent the last few nights anyway.

Emma perched on the end of the bed and switched on the small TV in the corner of the room. There was only a small number of channels and they eventually settled on cartoons. Tom and Jerry was about all Emma could be bothered for after the day they'd had and Regina didn't complain.

Emma groaned as she sat back on the pillows. This whole idea was turning into a nightmare. Lily was an essential part of their plan, necessary if they were going to write their own endings before Gold could interfere. Not to mention, Maleficent deserved her daughter back after what Emma's parents put her through and Lily deserved her mother. Snow and Charming had essentially done to Maleficent exactly what had been done to them.

Regina, who'd been sat in the armchair to the side of the bed, must have dozed off because Emma's attention was yanked from her thoughts by soft whimpers. She looked to the brunette, whose face suggested she was in the middle of a nightmare, her head tossing from side to side as she avoided something Emma couldn't see. For a while, she just watched, hoping that the nightmare would come and go, but when Regina started to mutter "No" and "Please", Emma had had enough. She loudly walked over to the sleeping woman and shook her gently by the shoulders, "Regina? Regina, wake up."

"Wha- What happened?" Regina stammered as she gasped awake, eyes darting about the room as she tried to remember where she was.

"Nightmare?" Emma asked.

Regina looked at her questioningly.

"You were talking in your sleep." Emma explained. "More like whimpering, really. You have nightmares a lot?"

The brunette sighed. "I used to. It seems Robin has succeeded in bringing them back after his stunt the other night."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I fail to see how talking about it will make it any better." Regina muttered.

"You never know. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who understands."

Regina scoffed. "No offence, Miss Swan, but I doubt you'd understand my nightmares," she said dismissively, "and you should thank your stars for that."

"How are you so sure?" Emma asked.

Regina looked back at her, eyes curious.

"I grew up in the system, Regina. I've been through a lot of crap."

"Honestly, I don't know all that much about the system." Regina admitted.

"It just meant that I grew up being passed from family to family," Emma explained, "and let's just say that not all of the so-called 'parents' that I lived with had good intentions."

The implication of Emma's words was clear and Regina's face dropped with the realisation of what the blonde might have been through. "Emma, I'm so sorry. Really and truly. What I did-"

"Hey," Emma interrupted, "you weren't in your right mind when you cast the curse. You were a victim, manipulated by the people in your life who were supposed to care for you. In my opinion, the curse was their doing, not yours."

Regina smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I should have been stronger. I had the power to escape everything, to turn away from the darkness. The day I pushed my mother through the looking-glass, the day of my wedding, I tried to run. I was going to leave everything behind me and never look back, start a different life somewhere new."

Emma dared not move, so shocked that Regina seemed to finally be opening up that she was terrified she would do something to stop her if she wasn't careful.

"I was nearly out, nearly free," Regina continued, "when Rumplestiltskin blocked my path. He convinced me to stay, to willingly return to my own doom. Whatever Leopold did to me after that, after I made the choice to go back, it was my own fault. All the evil deeds I committed… It all could have been avoided if I had been stronger, if I hadn't let him sway me."

"That's bullshit."

Regina looked up in shock, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. That's bullshit." Emma said, clearer this time. "How old were you, Regina? The day that happened?"

"I was eighteen."

"You were a kid!" Emma exclaimed, angrily. "Rumplestiltskin knew exactly what he needed to do and say to get you to do his bidding and _that_ is not your fault. You were systematically broken down until you were nothing but clay ready to be moulded into whatever he wanted and you didn't stand a chance against him. An eighteen year old girl, up against the most powerful sorcerer of that time? How could you possibly have stood up to him? "

Regina was stunned into silence.

"Look how far you've come," Emma continued, "the torture you withstood to defy Gold just a few days ago. You're, by far, the strongest person I've ever known. You didn't deserve the shit that you were put through, no one deserves that. But you came out the other side. Look at you now, still fighting against the darkness every day. I don't know anybody else who could have done what you've done. You should be applauding, not blaming yourself."

Regina only realised she was crying when a tear dropped onto the hand in her lap and she quickly wiped at the damp around her eyes.

"Your mother forced you into marriage, Rumplestiltskin manipulated you into staying there, ensuring you were broken down enough to let the darkness in, and I'm assuming that Leopold must have been one hell of a bastard for Rumple to want to keep you there. I bet that putting you through a nightmare of a marriage was part of his plan to wear you down, make you feel like you had no one. I mean, how old was he? Fifty? Sixty? Any old man wanting to marry a young girl, particularly one who wasn't willing, must have been sick in the head. I don't care what Snow says, frankly I never believed a good word she said about him."

Regina let out a humourless chuckle. "Sick in the head is certainly an accurate description."

"They were the real monsters, Regina, not you. Never you." Emma reached out and held Regina's hand tightly in her own. "You don't need to carry all of your baggage alone anymore. Talk to me. Please. Let me take some of the load."

When Regina next locked eyes with her, something passed between them. A connection of sorts, that sent shivers down both of their spines. In that moment, Regina didn't feel alone for the first time in many years. Her eyes glistened.

"He made me feel worthless." She said, finally, holding Emma's gaze with a trust she didn't know she was still capable of. "Like I was as worthless as the dirt on his shoes. In Leopold's mind, the priorities were Snow, himself, the entire Kingdom and then me. I was happiest when he left me alone, because if he was paying attention to me, it was never a good thing. He was a monster. Snow would never believe it."

"Do you think she ever suspected?" Emma asked.

"Your mother's optimism may have a number of uses, but it also means that she sees only what she wants to see, even when proof of the opposite is right in front of her." Regina mused, half to herself. "She must have thought me incredibly clumsy, always falling down the stairs or off of Rocinante. How she could believe that those accidents resulted in black eyes and finger-shaped bruises all over my body, I'll never know."

Emma winced, hating that she could share DNA with such a vile person. She clenched her fists.

"It's lonely," Emma found herself saying, "because no matter how many people you have around you, no one understands the side of you that they create. The abusers, I mean. It's like they steal a bit of your soul and replace it with darkness; just bitterness, anger and resentment. It works to their advantage, makes you push people away, keeping everyone unaware of what's really going on.

"I spent my fair share of time with rapists, drunks…" Emma continued. "I understand the mark that they leave on you. The mark that never really goes away. The only thing that ever helped me was speaking to Lily. She told me she'd been through much of the same stuff, and talking about it to someone who I thought understood, helped. Like it took some of the weight off of my own shoulders."

"Someone who you _thought_ understood?" Regina repeated, questioningly.

"She was lying. About everything." Emma stated, eyes staring blankly ahead. "At the time, I was so mad. She was the only person who I could trust and the entire time she was putting on a show. I think I can understand now. She was lonely, desperate for a friend, and she thought that it would bring us closer, but I couldn't forgive her, not at the time. It just hurt too much. It made me feel unlovable."

Before she was aware of her actions, Regina had leant forward, her hand reaching out on its own accord to cup Emma's cheek, causing the blonde's eyes to snap to her own at the touch. With her other hand she twirled some of the blonde locks that sat on her shoulder, eyes darting between pink lips and green eyes. All she knew in that surreal moment, was that she wanted to prove Emma wrong, because she was. So wrong.

Without another thought, she leant in, lips parted and Emma moved forward to meet her halfway. Their lips collided, as though gravity had pulled them together. Their tongues met in Emma's mouth, swirling and tasting and Regina's hands were immediately at Emma's top, pulling it roughly upward, desperate to touch skin. With the same urgency, Emma helped her remove it and then started to work on Regina's, ripping the thin material up the side as she pulled it from her. Seconds later, both skirts were also piled on the floor in a heap and they stood inches apart, clothed only in their underwear. With hands still wrapped in each other's hair, they each glanced down, admiring what was laid bare in front of them.

"You're beautiful." Regina whispered as she gazed over Emma's small, perk breasts and toned stomach. A number of scars littered her lower abdomen and she let her fingers wander over them in a light caress. She wanted to kiss them, to show Emma that she meant what she'd said. She was beautiful, scars and all, and not at all unlovable.

Before she could do so, Emma pulled her in to claim her mouth once again, this time with more ferocity. She bit lightly at Regina's bottom lip and pulled, forcing a groan from the brunette as she moved her hands around her back to unclasp her bra, freeing her rounded, firm breasts. Unable to help herself, Emma dove to them, tongue dragging along the swell of one as she held the weight of the other in her hand. Regina gasped at the sensation and fisted her hand in Emma's hair, pulling her closer.

" _You're_ beautiful." Emma hummed against her breast as she moved to take a nipple lightly between her teeth, tongue darting between to lick it.

Regina was on cloud nine, feeling sensations that she hadn't in years at such a heightened level that she wondered if Emma could make her cum just by touching her breasts. She couldn't stop the moans which left her lips, animalistic and bursting with need.

Emma tried to take her time, to go slow, but it was an impossible feat. Regina's breasts felt so right in her hand, a perfect fit, even more so in her mouth and she found herself wanting to devour every inch of the brunette's body.

"Emma, I want to feel you." Regina breathed, hand going to Emma's back, snapping open her bra so that both of them were bare from the waist up.

Emma reluctantly pulled her mouth from Regina's nipple and nuzzled into her neck instead, sucking at her pulse point as their chests met. The feeling of Regina's breasts pressed up against her own took her breath away and she tried to hold the brunette impossibly closer, sensitive, erect nipples rubbing against each other as she kissed her.

All that they knew as they devoured one another, was that they needed this. Each as much as the other. But it wasn't just the release of built-up tension; there was something else, something between them that neither could name. Whilst Emma continued to suck at her neck, Regina realised that this had always been inevitable, her feelings suddenly clear to her as she finally understood what had been going on in her mind. She had fallen for this woman; her son's other mother, the Saviour to her Evil Queen, and it was messy and it was insane but it was just _right._

Regina hooked her fingers in the waistband of Emma's panties and the blonde followed suit. A moment later they were tumbling onto the bed, naked in each other's arms, hands wandering over feverish flesh. Regina rolled them over, desperate to make Emma feel the euphoria that was taking her own breath away. With one last kiss on the blonde's lips, she lowered herself until she was knelt between her legs. For a moment, she let herself breathe in the sight. Emma was damp with sweat, a look of urgency and bliss on her face, legs open and inviting and Regina couldn't wait a second longer. She leant in and licked the length of Emma's core in one, rough motion, causing the blonde to let out a breathy moan, legs shaking.

"Oh my God." Emma gasped. She wasn't sure what was arousing her more; the sensation of Regina's tongue between her legs or the sight in front of her.

Regina grinned wolfishly and dove forward once again, burying her face in Emma's cunt. She tasted deliciously sweet and was becoming wetter by the minute, soaking Regina's lips. Her tongue swiped circles on Emma's clit, occasionally diving inside, each time eliciting louder and breathier moans from the younger woman.

"Fuck me, Regina." She gasped between breaths. "I need you to fuck me."

Regina was all too happy to comply, thrusting two fingers into Emma's wet core. They went in easy, meeting no resistance from the excited blonde and she swiftly set a fast pace as her tongue continued to lap over her bundle of nerves.

"God," Emma groaned, "Regina, that feels- Oh God…"

Regina hooked her fingers at just the right angle, knocking against that special spot before adding a third finger.

Emma's hands went to her own breasts, a motion she didn't even think through. Regina was making her feel more aroused than she'd ever been, more than she had even in her recent dreams, and it felt like she was going crazy, completely letting loose.

Regina continued to pound her fingers into her, gradually quickening the pace and delving deeper and it wasn't long before Emma felt her release within grasp. She moaned as her legs began to shake.

"Cum for me, Emma." Regina said in that husky voice that had always been such a turn on and Emma didn't know if it was her fingers, her tongue, her voice or simply hearing the brunette say her name, but suddenly she was gone. Lost in a pleasure so great that white spots danced in her vision. Regina continued to thrust as she rode through her orgasm and when it finally passed and she glanced down to see Regina smiling at her from between her thighs, lips damp with her own wetness, she decided she'd never been happier than she was in that moment.

"I believe it's your turn, your Majesty." She breathed as she sat up slowly, worried that if she moved too quickly the dizziness would overtake her.

Regina grinned in anticipation and then Emma was pushing her off the bed and to her feet, quickly dropping to her knees before her. The brunette staggered back and had to grip the edge of the chest of drawers when Emma's tongue expertly found her clit in no time, sending waves of pleasure emanating from her core. Emma couldn't contain herself. Her tongue moved wildly, causing Regina to grip the back of her head with one hand and hold her tight, desperate to keep her there, not that Emma was planning on moving away anytime soon.

When Emma slipped a finger into her, the brunette moaned so loudly that Emma was sure the people in the next room must have heard. But that thought only spurred her on. Regina was dripping wet and Emma didn't hesitate before adding two more fingers, pushing hard and deep against the spot that was driving Regina insane.

"More, Emma." She moaned. "I want more."

Emma wasn't sure what inspired her next move, but she was more than sure of what she wanted to do. She rose to her feet, ignoring Regina's whimper as she slipped her fingers out of her and without a word of explanation, she spun the brunette around.

"Grip the chest." She ordered.

Regina obediently did as Emma asked as she bent over the chest of drawers, looking back over her shoulder with excited curiosity. The sight was almost too much and Emma gasped at the tingling sensation in her lower stomach. Regina's ass was jutted out, her hair tossed over one shoulder as she gazed at the blonde with wide eyes, eager for what was coming next. Emma gently ran her hands over the swell of her ass.

"Please." The brunette whimpered and that was all the encouragement Emma needed.

Her hand immediately returned to where it had last been, three fingers swiftly entering Regina's cunt, causing the older woman to gasp and buck against her. Emma's other hand went around the brunette, wrapping around her breast and squeezing it roughly as her thump swiped over an erect nipple.

"Another finger, Emma." She moaned.

The blonde tucked her pinky into her hand and thrust it forward, gasping as she watched her four fingers disappearing inside. Regina breathed in sharply and she paused, "Are you sure this is okay?"

Regina shuddered. "It's amazing, just give me a minute."

Emma stilled her fingers, but continued to gently palm her breast in her other hand until Regina sighed, "Fuck me."

Though still weary of hurting the brunette, Emma did as she was told. When Regina let out a long, breathy moan, her doubts were wiped away and the urgency returned. She roughly thrust her hand into her wet cunt, shivering as she felt Regina's walls clamping around her fingers.

"Gods…." Regina gasped, her voice breaking as she tried to catch her breath, thrown off with each pounding of Emma's fingers.

Emma couldn't help herself, she removed her hand from the brunette's breast and entangled it in her hair, pulling her body upright, tight against her own, as she continued to fuck her. Yanking her head back, so she could watch Regina's face, Emma tried to remember this moment exactly as it was. The brunette's eyes were glazed over with pleasure, her words coming out in breathy gasps. "Uh, I'm- I'm going to-"

"Let go," Emma told her, "Let yourself lose control. I want to watch your face as you cum around my fingers."

Regina turned her head slightly so she could lock eyes with the blonde, her moaning becoming louder with each thrust of Emma's hand. When Emma brought her thumb around to flick at her clit, she lost it. Her knees buckled but Emma held her tight, keeping her standing. Their eyes remained locked, Emma watching intently as pleasure took over the former Evil Queen's body.

When Regina actually screamed, Emma's own knees buckled and she took a step backward, trying to steady herself, but with her hands busy devouring the brunette, she lost her balance entirely and toppled backwards onto the bed, Regina on top of her, cunt still filled with Emma's fingers.

"Oh. My. God." Regina exclaimed as Emma slipped her fingers from her.

"Yeah." Emma muttered the only word she could muster in that moment.

Regina rolled off the younger woman so they were laying side by side. "That was…"

"The best sex I've ever had." Emma finished for her.

"Indeed."


	20. Chapter 20

_**This chapter ends with a lot of what really happened in the series, but things will take a big twist soon :)**_

When the sun moved between the gap in the curtains the next morning and drew the both of them from a deep and peaceful sleep, they woke to find themselves in one another's arms yet again. Emma smiled up at Regina through half-closed eyes but was greeted with an apprehensive smile from the brunette. Regina moved away from Emma and climbed out of bed all too quickly. She was still naked but kept her back to the blonde as she collected her clothes from the floor and Emma's heart dropped at the thought that her walls had gone back up again so soon.

"You okay?" She asked, wearily.

"Yeah." Regina said, a little too abruptly. "I just think we should get going, no use wasting any more time here."

Emma flinched at the insinuation that last night had been a 'waste of time' but didn't pick Regina up on it. Instead she mumbled an "okay" and followed her out of the bed.

They had both dressed made their way down to the gas station within twenty minutes. Thankfully, the place was open and the car had a new tyre in no time. They decided to grab some breakfast at the Coffee Mug Diner before leaving and a familiar voice greeted them as they waked through the door.

"You girls get your wheel?"

They turned around to face the same man who had spoken to them briefly the night before, sat at a booth with pancakes and syrup in front of him.

"Yep." Emma smiled, a little awkwardly.

"So you managed to get a room at the motel?"

"We did, thanks." Regina said, turning away from him and looking for free tables to signal the end of the conversation.

"Bet you both enjoyed that." The old man raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"What, exactly, are you insinuating?" Regina snapped, turning back around to glare at him.

"Just that the flat tyre might not have been all bad, if you got a romantic night out of it."

"We're not together." Regina stated. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh," the man shook his head, but continued to smile, "my mistake. I just assumed."

"Well, don't." The brunette snapped before turning to face Emma. "Let's order, we have to get going soon." The man took that as his cue to be quiet and didn't say anything else as they walked past him to a booth at the back of the diner. "What a creep." Regina mumbled.

"So, what are we?" Emma asked as they sat down, a nervous expression wearing at her features.

Regina sighed. "Emma, I just didn't want to give him something to use when he gets into bed alone tonight and decides to get down and dirty."

"I know. But that doesn't answer my question. Did last night mean anything to you?" Emma persisted.

"Did it mean something to you?" The brunette repeated.

"I asked first."

"I don't know…" Regina rambled. "It- I mean- I haven't really had time to think clearly, lately. About anything."

"But you felt it too? That something between us?" Emma asked, tentatively.

Regina was silent for a moment, her tongue between her teeth. "I suppose so." She finally admitted.

"Look, I can't help but be extremely happy about what happened last night, Regina, and I really hope you're not already regretting it."

When Regina looked to the blonde and saw the desperate hope in her eyes, she immediately felt guilty. "I don't regret it. I'm just- I'm not good at this."

"Not good at what?"

"At _this._ At being with someone like _that_. Someone always gets hurt and I've found it hurts me just as much when it's the other person as it does when it's myself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Miss Swan, you know about my track record; Leopold, Graham, Robin, and you know how they all turned out. I thought maybe Robin was different, and it took everything I had to have some hope again, to believe in us and to try and make it work and it _still_ all blew up in my face."

"Woah, slow down. I'm not asking for any serious commitment after one night." Emma told her. "My track record isn't much better either. But I like you, Madam Mayor. I like you a lot. I think I always have. Last night was… Incredible." She beamed. "And I feel like we've connected somehow, these past few days. Look, I don't know what I'm trying to say either, really. This has all blown me off kilter, too. I guess I'm just asking you to not shut me out again. Please."

"Okay." The brunette smiled, thinly. "I think I can do that."

"Ready to order?" A waitress asked, placing some condiments on the table as she spoke.

"We haven't looked at the menu yet." Regina said.

"Sure, I'll come back in a bit." She smiled and left.

When Regina looked to Emma she found her ogling the back of the waitress as she walked away.

"Moving on from me so soon?"

"Huh? What?" Emma stuttered as she turned to face her.

Regina raised her eyebrows.

"No-no… It's just… That's her." Emma said, voice full of disbelief as she turned back to continue staring blankly at the waitress.

"What do you mean that's her?"

"That's Lily. That's her."

"It can't be."

"Lily had a mark in the shape of a star on her right wrist, so did that waitress. I'm telling you, that's her." Emma said, leaving no room for argument she called out to the retreating waitress, "Hey, Starla!"

"Starla?" Regina questioned.

Emma ignored her as she waved the woman over.

"Ready sooner than you thought?" She asked.

"Starla isn't your name, is it?" Emma asked, her eyes boring into the waitress's. "Lily?"

The brunette woman visibly flinched and Regina smiled knowingly, the Saviour had done it again.

"How do you know that?"

Emma reached for the woman's wrist, forcibly turning it to expose the small birthmark she'd mentioned. "This mark… You showed it to me a long time ago. Outside a crappy cub foods in Hopkins, Minnesota."

Recognition drifted through Lily's eyes as she took in the blonde in front of her. "Emma?"

"I thought you were dead. What the hell happened to you?" Emma asked, bluntly.

Lily stammered, "I got into trouble… With some bad people. I just- I needed a fresh start…" She shook her head and blinked harshly. "But I've been careful." She stated. "How did you find me?"

"I know this is gonna sound crazy but you know when we were kids you used to say you and I were connected?" Emma asked, then waited for Lily to nod. "Like something was drawing us together?"

"Yeah…" Lily drawled, confusion in her tone. "That's something teenage girls say and then you braid each other's hair and become BFFs."

"What if you were right? What if… There's a reason your life has been on a downswing ever since we met? That all your problems aren't your fault? That they're mine?"

Lily widened her eyes and turned to walk away. "You're right. That sounds crazy."

Emma reached out and grasped the woman's wrist before she could leave. "It's complicated, but I can explain it if you come with me. I just need you to trust me."

"Look, I don't know what kind of twelve-step program you're in… but I've moved on. I'm fine."

"You're living in the middle of nowhere under an assumed name. I can help you."

"I don't need your help. And my life is great, thank you very much. I have an awesome daughter and a loving husband. The last thing I need is for you to come into my life and just blow it apart again, so if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take my break early. I'll get someone else to wait on you." She was gone before Emma could reach for her this time.

She groaned. "Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore."

"What do we do?" Regina asked. "If that's her and she doesn't want to come with us, we can't very well force her into the boot of the car."

"Let's wait around until she gets back. She'll have to finish her shift and we'll use that time to get her to listen. Whatever it takes. Then, after we've told her we know where her mother is, if she still isn't interested… I don't know, maybe we knock her out, take some blood and get on our way."

Regina shot her an incredulous glare.

"Bit of a disagreement with Starla, eh?" That familiar, gruff voice came again.

Emma and Regina turned to look at the old man who'd approached their table.

"Sorry for eavesdropping. I was just on my way to the bathroom and caught some of that conversation." He said by way of explanation. Regina rolled her eyes exaggeratively enough for him to notice and frown at her.

"You know Starla?" Emma asked, sensing an opportunity.

"Oh, yeah. I know everyone in these parts. She just so happens to be a good friend of mine." He said, proudly. "So I hope you weren't causing her too much trouble."

"I'm her cousin." Emma said, smiling through the lie, expertly. "She's gotten herself into some trouble and we're just trying to help. Unfortunately, she doesn't want to listen to us and we're butting heads. You don't happen to know where she lives, do you? I'd just like to check up on her from time to time. She's lost touch with most of her family."

"That's a sad tale indeed." The old man muttered. Regina raised her eyebrows, surprised he had taken the bait. "I do, indeed. If you turn right out of here and drive straight until you hit the first neighbourhood, you'll find her place on Helton Street, number three. It's a small little town, won't be too hard for you to find."

Emma was already getting to her feet and putting her arms through the jacket by the time he finished his sentence. "Thank you, we really appreciate it." She said as she tapped on Regina's shoulder in a gesture to get her to hurry up.

They didn't hear whatever the old man called out to them as they rushed out of the diner and clambered into the car. It was, indeed, easy to find and ten minutes later, they were pulling up outside number three, Helton Street.

"She was lying." Emma muttered as she put the car into park. "I know when someone's lying and she was. She always has. And why would she be any different now? Something's wrong and if I'm right, we can convince her to come with us. I'm sure."

Emma picked the lock on the door with worrying ease but Regina didn't comment, just followed her into the small apartment. It was nothing much, plain floors and plain wallpaper. A bit grimy, if anything, with minimal, old furniture.

"No kids stuff. No signs of a husband." Emma grimaced as she confirmed her suspicions, looking around at the lack of toys, or men's things.

"So now, what? We wait for her to come back and then try to convince her that she's Maleficent's daughter?" Regina asked as she wondered through the hallway to inspect the other rooms. "That might be tough to swallow."

"Yeah, well, you know how long it took for _me_ to believe, and that was in Storybrooke. For her, it's not gonna be simple."

"Emma." Regina called from around the corner, urgency in her tone which caused Emma to snap her head round and hurry over.

"What?" She asked as she followed Regina's line of sight. The brunette didn't have to answer, because Emma could clearly see just _what_ had caught her attention.

The back wall of the living room was covered with a large map and several pictures. Three circles were marked on the map, arrows connecting the word "Storybrooke?" to each of them. The pictures consisted of many of the town's fairy tale counterparts and two, in particular, caught Emma's attention. The pictures of Snow White and Prince Charming were crossed out in thick, red pen.

"It might be simpler than you think." Regina murmured as she stared.

"Son of a- She knew. She already knew."

"And she was looking for you."

"No. My parents." Emma stated, panic bubbling in her chest. "She knew everything. She wants revenge."

Suddenly, the sound of a car revving outside startled them both.

"Really?!"

They were back outside in a matter of seconds, just in time to see the back of their car speeding around the corner.

"Emma!" Regina yelled.

"We have to stop her." Emma said, coldly as she ran to a toolbox sat in the driveway of the house under-construction next door.

"What are you doing?"

In answer, Emma raised the wrench she had grabbed as she approached a car parked on the street and smashed it through the driver's window. Regina didn't ask any more questions, just climbed into the car after Emma and held on for dear life as the blonde started the car like the ex-thief she was and pressed down on the gas pedal, throwing them both back into their seats as she raced down the street after Lily.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Sorry this chapter is so short! I'm back at uni and finding time to write has been difficult but I didn't want to leave you waiting any longer so here's what I've got so far :) thanks for sticking with me! Warning: this is_** ** _angsty as with the rest of the story._**

Regina's knuckles were bone white as she gripped the edges of her seat, body swaying wildly with every sharp turn of the steering wheel. She prayed a silent prayer to the Gods that the roads remained as clear as they were now with Emma maintaining their speed well over the limit and swerving each corner.

"Emma, please don't kill us. She can't get into Storybrooke anyway." She whispered.

"We need her, Regina, we need her blood if we want a chance to stand up to Gold."

"I know, but quite frankly you're scaring the hell out of me right now. What do you plan on doing once we catch up with her?"

"If she won't listen to me, we'll do what we have to do to get some blood. But if she thinks she's going to spend the rest of her life trying to find a way into Storybrooke to destroy my parents, then she's got another thing coming."

That sentence confirmed Regina's worries and she scowled. "Emma-"

"What would you do, Regina?" Emma snapped.

"I just don't want you to-"

She faced Regina, taking her eyes off the road for a moment to roar in her ear . "To what? Go dark? This is the real world, Regina, there are no heroes or villains, just real people with real problems. So if you're going to try to stop me, you can find your own way back to New York." With that she turned back to the road just in time for another sharp turn, eyes narrowed in anger and determination which unsettled Regina's stomach even more than her driving.

Regina knew better than to think she could argue her case just yet, deciding to stay silent until there was something she could do to calm Emma down somehow. She looked to the road to see Robin's car in front of them, quite some distance ahead but rapidly getting closer as Emma pressed onto the accelerator even harder.

It seemed Robin's car didn't have the capacity for quite as much speed as the one they'd stolen and it wasn't difficult for Emma to weave out and pull up alongside the vehicle.

"She's not going to stop, Emma."

"I'll make her stop." Emma muttered darkly, edging the car closer to Robin's, causing Lily to swerve a little as Emma overtook her.

Lily continued to attempt to drive around them, but Emma was quick with the steering wheel, keeping just ahead of her and gradually slowing down so that Lily had no choice but to lower her speed.

Just when Regina thought they had her, Lily made one last drastic attempt to escape, suddenly revving the car and making a dash for the empty lane next to them before Emma could stop her. Desperately trying to intercept, Emma spun the steering wheel and the tyres below them skidded, filling the car with a terrible screeching sound as Emma frantically tried to regain control.

She didn't have a chance to as the car left the road, rolling straight over rough terrain into the ditch at the side. Neither even had a moment to scream as they came to a sudden stop which sent Emma's head careening into the airbag that opened in front of her and a terrible silence followed as her vision faded in and out in blotches and her ears rang from the collision.

"Regina?" She rasped with a shaky breath, wincing in pain as she lifted her head. The brunette didn't answer her. Emma put a hand at the back of her neck, which throbbed with pain, as she turned to look in the passenger seat.

Regina's head hadn't hit the airbag. It hung limply from her neck against the cracked passenger window. Her eyes were closed.

"Regina!" Emma yelled, ignoring the pain as she reached over to shake her shoulder gently. "Regina, can you hear me?"

No response. Emma's heart began to thump wildly against her chest and for a moment she thought she might be sick. She deftly undid her seatbelt and opened the car door as time stood still, running around to Regina's side and catching the brunette in her arms as she opened the other door. Careful not to move her too much, she lowered her to the ground before thinking in a panic that maybe she shouldn't have moved her at all.

There was a trail of blood smeared on the car window and when Emma felt wetness, she looked at her fingers to find the thick red substance there too. She gently felt Regina's head and found the wound immediately, pressing her hand onto it to slow the bleeding as she reached into her pocket for her phone with the other hand.

"Is she okay?"

Emma startled at the voice and dropped the phone. "Lily?"

Lily picked the phone up for her and Emma heard her punch in three numbers. A moment later she was explaining their location to the operator and asking for an ambulance.

"Her head's cracked open." Emma stuttered when Lily hung up the phone, her voice not sounding like her own.

"Does it feel soft?"

"What?"

"Where you're pressing? Does it feel soft?"

"No?"

"Okay, good. Her skull's intact. She'll probably be fine."

"She's knocked out! She's bleeding!" Emma yelled, angrily.

"I know. Just calm down, okay? The ambulance will-"

"Em…" Regina murmured as she came to, "-ma?"

"Regina," Emma said in a shaky voice, "You're okay, it's alright."

"Wha-?"

"Just stay still, you hit your head."

"Hurts."

"I know. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Are you okay?" Regina asked weakly.

Emma faltered at her words. Regina was bleeding from her head, barely conscious and was asking if _she_ was alright? She let out a tearful chuckle. "I'm fine, it's you we need to worry about."

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait too long before they heard sirens approaching. Emma watched in silence, feeling more helpless than she ever had in her life, as Regina was loaded onto a gurney and secured in the vehicle, answering the paramedics' questions with one word answers in a voice she didn't recognise. One of them was trying to check her for injuries but she slapped their hands away, insisting that she was fine having hit the air bag and promising to stay at the hospital and get checked out afterwards.

Her eyes remained glued to Regina as she climbed in behind them, sitting in the extra seat behind the gurney.

"I'll meet you at the hospital." Lily said.

Emma didn't get a chance to question her decision before she was heading back to Robin's car.

She felt like she was stuck in a nightmare the entire way to the hospital, watching the paramedics hurrying about to stop the bleeding and check Regina for any other injuries. Thankfully, from what Emma could tell, they found none. Not that that made her feel any better. This was all her fault. She was so blinded by fear and anger that she put Regina in danger, put her life at risk. Well, it would never happen again. Screw Lily. Screw everything. Regina had to be okay and she would make sure of it. Then she would destroy Gold if it was the last thing she did.


	22. Chapter 22

The room that Regina was wheeled into wasn't large enough for the doctor _and_ Emma to be comfortable so, at his request, Emma waited outside to give him the space that he needed to stitch Regina's head back up and watched quietly as the brunette was wheeled into x-ray some time later to check the leg that had been causing her to wince every time she moved it.

Emma was leaning against the vending machine, hoping that staring at chocolate would somehow take her mind off the sick feeling of guilt in her gut, when a hand tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around to see Lily, holding out a coffee. She took it wearily. Despite what Lily had said when the ambulance had arrived, Emma hadn't really expected her to follow through and come to the hospital with them. She'd expected her to be halfway back to Storybrooke by now, not that she had worried too much about that, her mind focused solely on the injured brunette being wheeled about by doctors. So it took her a moment to get the question out, "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know." Lily shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Emma pushed.

"I'm sorry, Emma." Lily muttered as she took a seat in the chairs in the waiting area.

"What for? Going on a crazy murderous rampage towards my parents or driving like a maniac, making _me_ chase you and nearly fucking kill my…. my-"

"Your what?

Emma glared at her as she sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry for all of it." Lily sighed. "When you crashed and I thought you might be hurt I realised that I'd done it again. Even when I decide to just give into the darkness, it goes wrong in ways I can't anticipate, the wrong people always end up getting hurt."

"There's no right way to hurt anyone." Emma reprimanded.

"Sure." Lily scoffed. "The point is I never wanted to hurt you. Or your… friend. How is she?"

"She's okay. Stitched up. She's in x-ray now. Anyway, that's as much my fault as yours. She told me to slow down, but I didn't listen." Her voice caught on the last word.

Lily nodded but said nothing, awkwardly deciding to look at her toes instead.

"So you're not going to run off on me again and try to kill my parents?" Emma asked.

"I guess not." She mumbled, quietly. "It'll only backfire on me somehow. I want to come back with you though, I want to learn more about where I came from, and if you refuse I promise I'll find my way into your 'magic' town eventually… Somehow." Lily trailed off, before snapping, "Don't think I won't give your parents a piece of my mind while I'm there, they should know what they've done, understand the consequences."

"I agree with that at least."

"I'm sorry for more than just this, you know." Lily mumbled.

Emma stared straight ahead, reluctant to let old memories resurface.

"I'm sorry for screwing up your happiness. I'm sorry for always screwing up everything, for not just being there for you in the way that you needed me to be. I did love you. You should know that. I just didn't know how to show it."

Emma wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I loved you, too. You were the first person I ever loved."

"And I hurt you." Lily stated, grimly.

"Yes. But we both know the truth now. We both know that this darkness isn't all you. So, I'm over it. I'm not going to hold any of it over your head anymore. Since I found out…. About the darkness in you, coming from me… I've realised that I'm over it. Yes, it hurt, but you're whole life has been governed by this evil _thing_ that didn't belong to you in the first place. How can I hold you accountable anymore? I want to help you, Lily. I want to take you back with us, with you on our side. Introduce you to your mom."

"My mom…" Lily sighed, looking down at her hands in her lap.

Emma placed a hand over hers and nodded knowingly, "I get it. You know better than anyone that I know how complicated stuff like this is."

"Does she even want to meet me?" Lily asked, her eyes suddenly wide, teary and vulnerable. _A far cry from a dragon_ , Emma thought.

"So much. She's the reason we're here. She called and asked us to find you. She's not able to leave the town, otherwise, trust me, she would have found you years ago." Emma reassured her.

"Why can't she leave?"

"That's…" Emma sighed, she didn't want to put Regina in Lily's bad books just yet if she could help it, "a long story that I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you herself."

"Right."

"There's something else, too." Emma said.

"Yeah?"

"It's kinda complicated, so I'll give you the details during the long drive back we're going to have. But basically, the darkness you contain, the darkness that came from me, it's useful. You see, there's this author. He's been manipulating our stories all this time. It was him who manipulated my parents into putting my darkness inside you."

"Don't think you can make me hate them any less." Lily cut in.

"I wasn't defending them." Emma said, sincerely. "I'm just telling you as it is. This author was trapped inside the book as punishment for changing fate, and the Dark One-"

"Rumplestiltskin?"

"Yeah, him. He's been trying to free the author, he's hoping to get him to rewrite a happy ending for him. He's pretty relentless, roughed Regina up really bad not long ago." Emma paused before continuing, allowing herself a moment to get the image of Regina's torn back and bruised neck out of her mind. "But to get what he wants, he needs the book that the author's trapped in, a way to get the author out, and…. Dark Saviour blood."

"Dark Saviour blood?" Lily repeated, wrinkling her nose. "He wants your blood?"

"Not exactly. You're right that I'm the Saviour. But I'm not dark, so my blood won't do. However…."

"I have some of your darkness." Lily said with realisation. "He wants my blood."

"We don't think he's figured that out yet, he was actually just trying to turn me dark, and then he was going to take my blood."

"But that didn't work?"

"No." Emma stated. "And we have the book, a way to get the author out, and now perhaps, we have you on our side?"

"So if I give you some of my blood…"

"We'll have almost everything we need."

"Almost?"

"Rumplestiltskin, or Gold, as he goes by, has the quill that the author will need to write with. Once we've got that, we can rewrite the story. We can give Regina a happy ending. We can-"

"Force him to give me back my happy ending." Lily finished for her, eyes gleaming.

"We're not going to hurt him, though. Okay?"

"Emma, he's part of the reason your parents did what they did. You can't expect me to-"

"Please, just try and hold off some of that darkness until we get what we want? I'm not exactly planning to be on friendly terms with the author, either. But that doesn't mean I'm happy with hurting him."

Lily seemed to swallow some of her rage, bitterly, and shook her head to clear it. "Whatever." She mumbled, then looked to the wall behind Emma, seemingly deep in thought. "It seems like it would be… I don't know, fake somehow. Manipulated happy endings, I mean."

"Your whole life was derailed because of the author, he manipulated what was meant to be. Your fate was altered. I wouldn't consider it 'fake' to return your life to how it could have been. To how it _should_ have been."

Lily smiled tightly and shrugged. "I haven't exactly got anything to lose."

* * *

Thankfully, Regina's x-rays came back all clear, her head injury the only major damage. Her leg was just badly bruised. Emma insisted on waiting in the room with Regina this time, as the doctor explained about concussion dangers, holding tightly onto Regina's hand the entire time. The moment he finished his lecture and left the room, Lily stormed in.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here." She said, hurriedly.

"What? No, the doctor said they wanted to keep her in for observation." Emma argued.

"If we wait around any longer, the cops will get here and want to question us about the accident. What exactly do you plan on telling them?" Lily asked with raised eyebrows.

"I don't care, we'll think of something, we'll-"

"Emma, she's right. We haven't got the time to get in trouble for reckless driving. Not to mention, they saw the old bruising around my neck and despite my right to silence, they're pretty determined to get me to admit that I'm being abused. So please, let's go." Regina said as she sat up.

"Regina, lie back down!"

"Oh, shut up, Swan. I'm fine." Regina insisted as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Can you pass me that bag over there? I don't know why they insisted on removing my clothes."

"They only did what they needed to to make sure you're alright, Regina." Emma grumbled as she rolled her eyes and passed the plastic bag of clothes to the brunette.

"Well it would have been nice if they'd taken my word for it. This _thing_ smells." She wrinkled her nose and looked distastefully down at the gown she'd been given to wear. "Turn around." She said.

"Huh?"

"Turn around, both of you. Let me have a little dignity, at least."

They complied and Emma winced as she listened to Regina struggle with the clothes. "Are you sure you don't want-?"

"I'm sure." Regina said, tightly.

She knew that the older woman wasn't one to easily accept help, so Emma had to grit her teeth and listen to a few more grunts of pain before she was finally finished. Regina rose from the bed unsteadily and glared Emma down when she moved forward to help.

Suddenly, an enquiring voice came from behind them as a nurse poked her head around the door. "Miss Mills, I've just come to check that you're- Oh, where are you off to?"

When Regina didn't answer quickly enough, Emma said, "I was just going to help her to the bathroom." She gripped Regina's arm, happy for an excuse to support the woman who was clearly feeling dizzy.

"Okay, be careful." The nurse smiled. "It's just down the hall." She pointed off to the right and Emma smiled politely back at her. "I'll be back to check on you a bit later, then."

"Thanks." Lily said. The moment the nurse was gone, she grabbed the car keys she'd stolen from them. "Now, let's get out of here. We've got an asshole to take down."

* * *

The drive back was torturously slow, offering plenty of time to think about the imminent danger that they were about to put themselves in. It took the first two hours just to explain everything to Lily. Although she'd figured out a lot by herself, there was still much that she didn't know, and a few things she'd gotten wrong. Just discussing their lives over the last few years was enough to make Regina's head spin again as she realised just how much they'd all gone through. It was a miracle they'd even made it this far.

"How soon d'you think it'll take Gold to figure out that you guys have come back?" Lily asked, from the backseat.

"Doesn't matter, I've got a way to keep him on his leash for a while." Regina said with a knowing smile.

"I don't know if I'm okay with this, Regina."

"Okay with what?" Lily asked.

"Belle, the girl who owns his metaphorical heart. I'm going to take her actual heart." Regina smiled. "See how _he_ likes feeling helpless, for a change."

"Right, but you don't need to hurt her, okay?" Emma said. "We're just holding her _in case_ he figures out that we're back, and we let her go the moment we've got the quill."

"Sure." Regina mumbled, unconvincingly.

Emma decided to let it slide for the moment and rolled her eyes, mumbling quietly to herself about the unpredictability of her two allies, before turning back to the road.

"And how are we getting this quill?" Lily asked.

"With this." Regina reached into her pocket and pulled out Zelena's necklace. "It allows the wearer to disguise themselves as anybody. One of us will disguise ourselves as-"

" _I'll_ disguise myself-" Emma cut in.

Regina threw her a glare and continued, " _One of us_ will disguise ourselves as Maleficent…. As your mother. She was working with Gold for a while and she's continued to do so despite being on our side, so he won't suspect anything. That way we can steal it."

"Why can't my mom just steal the quill herself? If she's on your side?"

"She's our backup." Emma said, simply.

At Lily's confused expression, Regina rolled her eyes and explained. "Let's say your mother attempts to take the quill and gets caught. Gold will know that she's working against him. Whereas, if one of us gets caught stealing the quill, whilst disguised as Maleficent, he'll realise that it's not really her and he'll remain unaware of our spy on the inside. We'll have another chance, should we need it."

"I figure that if any of you get caught, it's pretty much game over." Lily shrugged.

"It's not game over until we say it is, dear." Regina smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

**MERRY CHRISTMAS ONCERS :)! It's been a while but I made sure to post today as my christmas present to all of you. It's sexy, I warn you ;)**

 **Updating has been taking me longer lately because of university and exams but don't worry, the end is in sight! Thank you SO much to everyone who stuck with me through all of this, it means the world to me. As always, please review!**

"Man, how far away is this place?" Lily groaned, a few hours into the drive.

"We've got three more hours, so hold off on your complaining for at least a little longer, please?" Emma asked.

" _Sorry_ if I'm a bit on edge after everything you've told me," Lily spat, sarcastically. "Must be my crazy dragon blood," she muttered.

"I suppose we should call your mom before we get back," Emma said.

"You haven't called her yet? You just spent hours waiting around at the hospital. What were you doing?" Regina asked, irritatedly.

"Geez, sorry if I was a bit too preoccupied with your life-threatening head injury at the time to deal with a dragon," Emma threw back.

"It wasn't life-threatening."

"The paramedics seemed pretty worried to me."

"I've lived through countless battles and seen a lot worse than a knock to the head, dear."

"You know, for some reason, Regina, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Will you just call her? Before I murder one or both of you?" Lily snapped.

Regina muttered to herself as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts.

"That's her?" Lily asked, as her eyes caught sight of the picture that Regina had assigned to Maleficent's number. It wasn't a flattering one, taken at an opportune moment just before the dragon could stop her. They'd been chatting like they used to in simpler times, joking and laughing and, despite the nature of her business with the supposed villains, Regina had enjoyed herself for a moment when she'd snapped the photo of Maleficent, eyes mid-roll and a scowl set on her face.

"Hmm hmm," she nodded. "That's your mom."

"She has my eyes," Lily pointed out, as she gazed at the blue orbs belonging to the woman on the phone.

"And your attitude," Regina added, prompting a soft chuckle from Lily.

"Is my father in Storybrooke, too? The apprentice didn't know anything about him."

Regina paused for a moment before answering, "Honestly, I don't know. Maleficent has never mentioned him and I didn't ask. You'll have to speak to her."

Lily nodded but didn't do well to hide the disappointment on her face.

"Anyway, without further ado…" Regina said, pressing the dial button and, after one ring, pressed the loudspeaker button, also.

"Regina?" Maleficent questioned as she picked up the phone.

"Mal-"

"Did you find her?" The dragon blurted out, her tone filled with desperation.

Regina didn't answer, instead she looked at Lily and raised her eyebrows, silently mouthing, "Go on."

"M-mom?" Lily stammered.

Maleficent let out a sound halfway between a wail and a sob, "Is that really you?"

Though Lily looked nervous and unsure of herself, a little shaken from Maleficent's reaction, she was smiling softly and her eyes glinted with tears as she nodded her head and confirmed, "It's me."

"Oh my-" Maleficent spluttered, choking on the words in her throat before continuing, "-my Gods, I never thought I'd hear your voice."

Regina looked up at Lily when a single tear dropped onto her phone. The brunette had turned an odd shade of pink, her lower lip trembling slightly. Sensing that Lily was struggling to find words, Regina patiently waited a while, offering her a chance to say more and when she didn't, Regina said, "You'll see her soon, Mal. We're about three hours from the town line. Do you think you can distract Gold while we cross it?"

Maleficent seemed to take a minute to compose herself before answering, "I can do that," she said, finally, in a shaky voice, "Where can I meet you, afterwards?"

"Do you think my vault will be safe?"

"So long as Gold remains unaware that you've returned," Maleficent said. "He hasn't been in your vault since you left."

"Good, I can set up some protection spells, in the meantime. I'll send you a text when we're five minutes away so that you can meet us at the line with the scroll. Be sure that he doesn't follow you."

"Okay," Maleficent said. "Lilith, I-" She stopped speaking abruptly and they heard a rustle from her end of the phone, followed by a man's voice. Gold's voice. It was muffled and they couldn't make out any words but it didn't sound like anything of serious concern. Regina was sure if he'd just caught Maleficent speaking to them, they'd know about it straight away. Regina and Lily stared at the phone in silence, not daring to speak lest they give Maleficent away, and a few minutes later, the other voices faded and Maleficent put the phone to her ear once again, "Sorry, that was Gold."

"We figured," Lily said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. It was obvious I'd been crying but I've been doing that an awful lot lately, so Gold didn't ask," Maleficent said with a sniffle, that tugged at Lily's heart.

"What did he say?" Regina asked.

"Nothing important. He'll be in the shop for a while. I'll stay here and call you if that changes. He doesn't seem to suspect anything. Head straight to your vault, don't tell anyone else you're back. We can't risk anybody giving you away, even by accident. I'll get David to bring you the scroll, from what I've heard he's the more trustworthy of that couple."

Regina scoffed, ignoring Emma's eye roll, "You're right about that. But it might be better if Henry were to bring it. I'm not sure that the first face your daughter should see when she returns is David's."

Regina texted Maleficent ten minutes before they arrived at the town line, and at the woman's reassurance that Gold was preoccupied with other matters, they parked the car out of sight and waited at the town line until the scroll seemed to appear out of nowhere and rolled across the ground towards them. Regina picked it up without a word, just a small smile at Emma, and opened it.

The moment they crossed the line, Emma and Regina were knocked back by a flurry of short, dark hair and a cry of, "Moms! I missed you."

"Henry," they said together, each wrapping their arms tightly around their son and burying their faces in his shoulders.

"We missed you too," Regina told him as she stepped away from the hug, still holding tightly onto his hand.

"It's so good to see you, kid," Emma said with a grin as she ruffled his hair.

"Finally," Regina murmured when suddenly, she felt the tingle of magic flowing back into her veins, like warm water surrounding her skin, offering a comfort quite unlike any other. Emma sighed happily in agreement as hers returned simultaneously, it brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'coming home'.

"What the heck is happening?" Lily asked. "Something just tickled under my skin."

"You must be quite naturally in tune with your magic if you felt that so quickly, seeing as you've never used it," Regina observed.

"Henry, this is Lily," Emma said, seeing the confusion on her son's face. "She's an old friend. She's also Maleficent's daughter."

Henry's face broke out into a smile, "Nice to meet you." He held out a hand and Lily shook it with a weary smile and nodded at him.

"Polite kid," she said to Emma.

"Regina raised him well," Emma said with a smile in the brunette's direction. She turned to Henry, "Kid, thanks for getting us in here, but you've got to get back now. We've got to deal with Gold and we can't have you hanging around looking suspicious. Head back to the loft, but don't tell my your grandparents anything, got it?"

"Got it," Henry said, "Are you sure I can't help?"

"Even if I didn't care about your safety and was happy for you to immerse yourself in all the crazy going on, no. You can't help. All you need to do is act normal and keep out of the way. I promise we'll let you know what's going on as soon as it's all over."

Henry nodded reluctantly and gave both his moms a final hug before waving and heading off.

"So… I can transform now?" Lily asked, once he was out of sight.

"I think it's best that we wait until all of this is over before trying that out," Emma grimaced.

"Emma's right," Regina agreed. "I suspect that the sudden appearance of a fire-breathing dragon might attract some unwanted attention. Anyway… Ready?"

At their nods, Regina took a hand from each of them and immediately engulfed them in the familiar scent of her purple smoke, poofing them straight into her vault.

The use of magic was like a sigh of relief and it suddenly felt as though she'd been holding her breath this entire time, so the wave of dizziness that hit her the moment they landed didn't surprise her.

Emma reached out and steadied the wobbling brunette by her shoulders whilst Regina tried to orientate herself. "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine, it's just been a while, as you're well aware," the brunette sighed.

"Sure," Emma agreed, reluctantly, whilst silently vowing to keep an eye on her.

"Lilith?" A shaky voice from behind them sighed out.

They each turned to find Maleficent waiting by the vault door, tears in her eyes and cheeks flushed red.

"Mom?"

Maleficent immediately dragged herself over to her daughter and embraced her in a fiercely tight hug which, after a moment, Lily reciprocated.

"I didn't think this moment would ever come." Maleficent hiccuped. "I am so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. I know everything. I know who's fault it was." Lily said, causing Emma to flinch.

"I should have done more. I should have stopped them, somehow."

"I'm here now, mom." Lily interrupted before her mother could say another word.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this, you can make up for lost time later. We have to deal with this, now. Gold won't stay unsuspecting for long," Regina said.

"Right," Maleficent said, as she forced herself to loosen her grip on her daughter and wiped at her damp cheeks. Her expression hardened when she looked to Regina and Emma for the first time. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"That's not important, right now," Regina snapped.

"There was a time when you'd ride into battle after weeks of camping, with your hair styled and an armoured skin-tight dress. Don't blame me for noticing _that,"_ Maleficent said with a curious look at Regina's outfit and messy hair. "Anyway, I set up some protection spells while I was waiting, so if he does show up, by any chance, we'll have time to get away."

Regina nodded, grateful.

"Okay, here's the plan," Emma said. "Regina will find Belle and take her heart, just in case anything goes wrong and we need leverage. Meanwhile, I'll take the necklace, disguise myself as you," she said to Maleficent, "and get the quill."

"When did we agree that you would be the one to enter the dark one's den?" Regina questioned, one eyebrow raised dubiously.

"Gina, don't bother. I'll die before I send you into more danger after what you've been through. So just shut up, please." Emma said, firmly, not even noticing the nickname that slipped past her lips.

Regina, however, did notice, and despite the harsh tone in Emma's voice, she found her own lips softening into a smile at Emma's reaction as she realised just how much the blonde seemed to care for her. The name didn't escape Maleficent's notice, either, and the dragon smiled a knowing smile.

"Do you know where the quill is? What it looks like?" Emma asked, moving on before Regina had a chance to respond.

"It should be simple enough," Maleficent said. "It's made of enchanted bark and it's quite distinctive, you'll know it when you see it. As for where, Gold put it in his safe."

"What's _simple_ about breaking into a safe?" Emma asked in annoyance.

"You should be able to break it open. Your so-called Saviour magic is quite powerful," Maleficent told her.

"I don't know how comfortable I am with relying on my magic for this."

"Emma," Regina said, firmly, as she took the blonde's hands in her own, "You can do this. You're more powerful than you know. You've shown that, time and time again. When you saved me, you gave the dark one a blast which sent him sprawling onto the floor. Do you have any idea how strong you have to be to do something like that?"

"That was different. That was adrenaline," Emma argued.

"It doesn't matter how you did it. What matters is that you are capable. More than capable. I believe in you, Emma, I know that you can come through. You just need to have faith in yourself."

"Careful there, you're starting to sound like my parents."

Regina cringed, "As much as I hate to admit it, that infuriating optimism of theirs did enable them to evade me for years… And I was no easy foe. So I suppose it might not be as useless as it's appeared to be."

"But-"

"Emma, we don't have another choice," Regina interrupted her. "You are capable of this and you will do it. I know you will."

Emma didn't think over her next action. Before she knew it, she was taking one large step to close the gap between herself and the brunette, tangling a hand into her hair and pulling Regina's lips to her own. It might have been the unyielding faith that the older woman had shown her, time and time again. Or it might have been the husky tone of her voice and the rise and fall of her full chest as she said it. All Emma knew was that she wanted to kiss her, and all thought of the other company in the room quickly left her mind as her tongue delved into Regina's mouth, conveying everything she was feeling in a single, passionate moment.

"My, my. Why aren't I more surprised?" Maleficent drawled at the sight.

Neither of them responded as Emma pulled away, breathlessly.

"Get a room," Lily groaned.

"I'll tell you what…" Maleficent said. "My daughter and I will fetch the bookworm's heart, we're in need of some bonding time. Why don't you two stay here and have a moment before we put the full plan into action?" With a quick wave of her hand and a puff of smoke, the pair were gone before either Emma or Regina could protest.

With no chance to argue, there were no more words to say, and Regina didn't hesitate to grip the fabric of Emma's top and haul her back to her mouth with a ferocity that made the blonde's blood boil. As they kissed, they felt the release of the tension that had been building during all that they'd been through. Relief coursing through the both of them at the feel of skin on skin and Emma realised that she'd developed a new kind of thirst. She needed the brunette like she needed water and she devoured her mouth accordingly, groaning with pleasure as Regina nipped at her lower lip.

Regina hands were at her waist now, pushing up her top and running her fingers across the smooth skin of Emma's stomach. The blonde leaned further into her touch, until the pair were pushed impossibly closer to one another, her own hands exploring the curves of Regina's ass, kneading and squeezing and pressing the brunette's lower regions up against her own.

Regina's lips went to her neck, sucking at her pulse point as her hands slithered upwards, over the material of Emma's bra, cupping her tightly. "I need you," she whispered, sending shivers down Emma's spine as her breath laced her flesh. A moment later, Emma's bra fell to the floor. Supposedly, Regina had used her magic to unclasp it, too inpatient to fiddle, and then the brunette's fingers were rolling over her perk nipples, making her knees weak and her breath uneven.

When both of their clothes disappeared in a flash, just a moment after Emma had pictured them both entirely naked, it took Regina's low chuckle to make her realise that she was the one who had done it.

"See, dear? You can be quite adept at controlling your magic. When you want something, that is."

Emma was quick to wipe the smirk from her face, cupping the brunette between the legs with a small smack. Regina let out a throaty moan, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as Emma steadied her with a hand on her lower back. "You're right. I want you," Emma growled into her ear, as she palmed Regina's clit. "Does that feel good, Madame Mayor?"

"Uh…" Regina groaned, as she brought her own hands up Emma's sides to tangle in her blonde curls. "Yes."

Emma leaned into Regina and claimed her lips, tongue swirling over hers, swallowing the brunette's needy moans as she continued to put pressure on her bundle of nerves. When Regina's arousal dampened her hand, she didn't hesitate to introduce two fingers with a hard thrust which elicited a gasp from the older woman, which Emma muffled with her mouth. She was so focused on Regina's reactions that she didn't notice the hand trailing down her stomach until delicate fingers brushed over her own clit, sending sparks of pleasure through her limbs.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me, Swan," Regina warned her as she placed her other hand on the blonde's shoulder and gently pushed her downward, following her to the floor until Emma was lying flat on her back with Regina hovering over her.

She was quick to regain Emma's mouth in a kiss as her hands went back to her glistening folds.

"Wait, wait," Emma gasped, "Could you magic me a cushion or something?"

With a quick wave of Regina's hand, a grey, thick, fur blanket softened the ground beneath them and Emma let herself relax into the fabric. "Okay?" Regina asked as she straddled the blonde's knees. When Emma nodded, she said, "Well, it's about to get better." At that, she leant forward and lapped her tongue up the length of Emma's folds, pausing at her clit and circling it a few times before beginning a quick, flicking motion.

"Oh, God," Emma groaned. The sight alone was erotic enough, with Regina's legs spread either side of her own, and her face pressed firmly into her cunt. But the sensations that the brunette's tongue were causing her to have in the pit of her stomach were another story entirely, and she wasn't sure how long she would last in this position. The only thing she was sure of, was that she wasn't ready to peak just yet.

So when Regina next moved away to breathe, Emma sat up and wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulders, scooting her up her lap until Regina's breasts were pressed up against her own, legs wrapped tightly around her waist, forehead against her own. They were sharing breath, their open mouths close but not touching and Emma thought that she could happily stay in that position for the rest of her life, breathing in the woman she lo- woah, what? Not loved, surely. She shook her head at the thought.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked when she noticed the frown.

"Yeah, fine," Emma said quickly, before moving in for another kiss.

Regina stopped her, moved her head back a few centimetres, "Are you sure?" she asked, brown eyes finding Emma's blue ones.

"I just- I don't know. Nothing."

"You can tell me anything," Regina reassured her, with a small kiss on Emma's lower lip.

"I just haven't felt this way in a long time," Emma finally admitted, "and it scares me. It scares the crap out of me. I never want to let you go." As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them and bit down hard on her lip in frustration. They'd only recently started exploring these feelings for each other and she was already becoming clingy. _Way to scare her away, loser,_ she berated herself. She quickly lowered her eyes to avoid Regina's, but instead found herself looking down at the brunette's naked legs wrapped around her waist and immediately felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Before she could look to the side, Regina caught her chin between a finger and thumb.

"Me neither," Regina whispered, lips brushing against Emma's ear as she did so, "I don't want to lose you. Emma I-" she paused, pursing her lips.

"You what?"

"I think I love you."

Emma might have been embarrassed about the sob that left her lips at Regina's words if she hadn't been such a mess of emotions. Instead, she simply smiled a teary smile and held Regina impossibly closer, "I think I love you, too."

"I want to feel you, Emma," Regina whispered as her hands began to roam. One paused at Emma's breast, fingers finding a pink nipple. "You're so beautiful." Her other hand ventured downwards and once again she was cupping Emma's wetness.

Emma was no longer content to simply give or take, she wanted to do both, and when Regina slipped a finger inside her, she did the same to the brunette, causing the both of them to gasp simultaneously into the other's mouth. She found Regina's spot quickly, having memorised it the last time they'd made love, and soon the both of them were whimpering, hips rocking against hands.

"I love having you inside me," Regina whispered, "As much as I love being inside you."

At that, Emma increased the pace of her fingers, moving her other hand around the squeeze Regina's ass and hold her closer as her thrusts began to jolt the brunette's entire body. Regina responded in kind, her every action becoming increasingly needy and frantic, and soon Emma felt the familiar pulse of pleasure in her core.

"Gina, I'm close, already," She whimpered, breathing heavily.

"Me too, cum with me," Regina told her as she continued to increase the pace of her fingers, thumb still flicking at Emma's clit. When she added a third digit, Emma couldn't help but cry out, overwhelmed by the climax.

In her feverish state, her own hand became erratic, pumping in and out of Regina, deep as her fingers could go. The brunette answered this by slamming her hips down and riding Emma's hand as her own orgasm began to course through her.

"God, Emma, oh my Gods, I can't- Oh-!" Regina cried out as she peaked, her entire body trembling, walls clenching around Emma's fingers.

Their movements slowed, eventually stilled. But the pair remained closely pressed against each other's sweaty skin. Neither willing to let go quite yet.

"Emma," Regina said, breathlessly.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think."

"Think what?"

"I don't think I love you," Regina said, as a huge grin broke out on her face, "I know I do."


End file.
